American Wife
by M.D. Off-Red
Summary: In an attempt to escape his monotonous life, the bored God looks for a bride in the human world. But what if the lucky 'bride' turns out much fiercer, taller, physically stronger, even more dominating than he imagined, and well-not quite-female? USxUK AU
1. Bounded

**Summary**: In a desperate attempt to escape his monotonous life, the bored God decides to look for a bride in the human world. However what if the lucky 'bride' turns out much fiercer, taller, physically stronger, even more dominating than he could ever imagine, and well-not quite-female? USxUK AU Godly!Arthur

**Rating**: M for language and suggestive themes.

**Main Pairing: **USxUK

**Side pairings:** GiriPan, RoChu, Franada, GermanyxItaly, SpainxRomano, and others.

**Ares**-Arthur/England

**Heracles**/Hercules-Heracles/Greece

**Zeus**-Francis/France

**Apollo**-Vash/Switzerland

**Artemis**-Lili/Liechtenstein

**Athena**-Elizabeth/Hungary

**Dionysus**-Feliciano/N. Italy

**Demeter**-Katja/Ukraine

**Poseidon**-Ivan/Russia

**Hermes**-Lovino/S. Italy

**Hephaestus**-Berwald/Sweden

**Hestia**-Natalia/Belarus

**Hades**-Lukas/Norway

the others are to be announced. The characters will often be called by their Greek God names, so I will post both every published chapter to prevent confusion.

**American Wife**

**Chapter One: Bounded**

"This is crazy"

The blonde man in a neatly ironed Armani suit rolled his eyes. He'd heard those grunted words from the unusually talkative Grecian a thousand times already and it was getting old. He silently ignored him, adjusting his crooked tie. He looked at the 5 foot mirror by the closet, taking in the sight of a handsome blonde in obviously expensive attire. The suit he wore was in the wonderful color of indigo with a light blue dress shirt underneath and a silk tie in blue and white stripes. His brilliant blonde hair was perfectly combed and he wore a pair of Italian leather shoes, a golden pin slipped in between the tie and the shirt to hold his tie firm and tidy. He looked mighty fine, he thought, smiling to himself.

No woman would be able to resist such an attractive and godly man. Well he was, he thought, chuckling softly.

Another muffled grunt reached his ears.

He sighed in exasperation. Now he was a bit pissed, his good mood was being spoiled by the ever present grunts of the other man and he knew his mood would be spoiled further, if he decided to ignore the young man again.

"It's alright, Heracles." He repeated again, for the Zeus knew how many times. Heracles was boring him out of his wits and even if he wasn't, he would still be bored of his immortally repeated, perpetual days. He had no idea how a son of Zeus could turn out to be such a wimp, unlike his pervert of a father. The other God practically had no sense of decency when it came to womanizing.

"But this is crazy, Ares," Heracles insisted, hugging his knees in the corner of the other man's bedroom. "Father will not be pleased with this."

"Our father is the _symbolism_ of infidelity. _You_ are a product of one of his erotic escapades. Do you think he'll care, really?" The man called Ares rolled his eyes again.

"And Heracles, don't forget. It's Arthur. Arthur Kirkland. Use that name while we are in the human world." He sent an annoyed warning glare to the other man, his hands busied themselves with a platinum Swiss watch.

Heracles didn't look convinced.

"I don't know about this," he muttered, bringing his knees closer to his chest. "I mean, if you just want to play around, there are plenty of nymphs back home. They're more than glad to accompany you."

"That's what you thought, horny brat." Arthur gave him a cynical smirk, earning a flushed face from the other. He turned back to face his reflection once more. He decided his tie was a little too far to the right.

"Anyways, I'm bored with things on Olympus. Unlike the old times, nothing really happens nowadays and it's dulling my nerves. I need something new to excite me." He tugged at the sleeves, preventing wrinkles.

"…and for that, the human world?" Heracles inquired. The blonde smiled.

"Yes."

"I don't understand."

"You don't have to."

Heracles stared at his own toes with his lips tugged down, fingering the thumb idly. "…isn't it unfair for the lady?"

The violent God stilled. Turning his body around to face the young hero, he furrowed his generously lush eyebrows and frowned. The younger man was still playing with his fingers idly, long dark bangs hid his face. Ares cursed wordlessly, he had only just remembered the other man's age. Heracles was still relatively young compared to most Gods, and he was a half. His human mother was one of Zeus' many one night stands and for that one night she and Heracles had to suffer the wrath of Zeus' jealous wife, Hera. Heracles was raised in the human world as an ordinary man and he had just recently been accepted into Olympus a few hundred years ago. He would surely loathe the things his father did and what Arthur was about to do. Personally, Arthur didn't have anything against him or his mother.

"It's unfair, alright," Ares admitted, his eyes softening when Heracles turned and looked at him with wide eyes. He took a deep breath, emerald eyes hardening. "But it's the way Gods are. It's the way we live."

Heracles quirked an eyebrow. "I still don't get it."

"When you become more mature, perhaps you will." The other man shrugged.

"Why can't they just get married, if they love them?" Heracles inquired with a certain amount of innocence in his tone of voice.

Ares looked surprised at the naivety of his question. He instantaneously stopped his hands that were busy with his tie and glanced at the younger God who was still looking at him with honest curiosity in his eyes. Arthur clearly hadn't expected such a question to be asked.

"Love?" He choked out the word, feeling both amused and confused. Then he coughed briefly, a smile rose on the corners of his lips.

"Now, Heracles, you seem to be misunderstanding some things. We do not fall in love with mortals. We are simply attracted to them. In other words, we only want to screw them and maybe have a kid or two. That doesn't mean we hold long-term affection for them. And besides," His smile fell unknowingly as the violent God continued. "We are Gods. We are immortal. We can't be going around marrying human lasses, when in the next fifty years we'd still be young and beaming while them, ugly hags."

Heracles was silent.

Arthur sighed, two digits pressed against his aching temples. "Okay, you know what? It's about time I left. I probably should be going soon, whether you want to come with me or go back to Olympus, either way's fine. But I don't want to discuss this again."

Heracles didn't reply immediately and he was quiet for a few seconds before he muttered softly but loud enough to reach Arthur's ears. "…I'll stay."

"Fine." Arthur shrugged his shoulders.

Ares couldn't help think that Heracles was being too naive and unreasonable. Though he could understand that his curiosity came from the mortal that reigned over half of his body. But what could he do, really? In the good old days when violence ruled, wars and battles were where he was truly at home. He was a violent, blood-thirsty God who loved slaughters and bloodshed. In the olden days, as a youth he had mingled with the barbarous Thracians, had a love affair with the most beautiful Goddess, Aphrodite, and he had gone to wars with his children and attendants. Those times were priceless and were like heaven to him. His golden time. Now, they were nothing but triumphant memories of the past, as old and decayed as he was. Back then he was the infamous Ares, God of Warfare and Bloodlust, a youth beaming with vigor and strength, and now he was just… just…

Tired.

Yes. Now he just felt tired. He felt old and bored. Nowadays people rarely came to worship him, only a few still believed in his and his siblings and parents' existence. There wasn't any excitement now that the numbers of wars had reduced significantly over the decades as the new 'peaceful' modern era overtook the old violent one. Yes, there were still disputes here and there, but none piqued his barbarous instinct as the world had developed more-or-less-cowardly, so called modern weapons named guns and rocket launchers and nuclear bombs and had forsaken spears, swords, and axes. And the way they battled just threw him off. There were hardly any class to their tactics, they were simply dirty and cowardly. There was no fun in watching, he'd thought even less about joining in.

Even he was slightly taken aback by how docile a man he had become. Now he had almost no interest in warfare. Peace had done the utmost worst to him. From a barbarous, violent delinquent, he became a cool-headed man with etiquette and gentle mannerisms though he still had ways with rough language. He had taken quite a liking towards one country in particular where he learned his perfect gentlemanly etiquette, mannerisms, and language. Out of absolute boredom, he had left Olympus for the human world, seeking something that could excite him, something that could bring back his youthful vigor and triumph. He started to learn how to live like a human, their language and lifestyle, literature, and even fashion. And now there was another thing on his mind that could give him some excitement.

Sex.

Since ancient times the Grecian Gods had sought countless of love affairs with both fellow Gods and humans. Zeus, the king of the Gods, had countless secret lovers, one-nights stands, and many demi-God children were conceived from his erotic escapades. And it wasn't just him. The other Gods mimicked his actions and mingled with human men or women, and many more half-blooded children and heroes were born. But of course, that was just for the sake of pleasure and enjoyment, nothing more. Just a means to escape the boredom.

Ares himself had mingled with human women several times for the same reason. But no one had really caught his attention and he was quick to forget their names and faces. Nevertheless this was the only thing he knew that could fill the holes created by monotonous boredom and repetitive emptiness. The world had changed, yes, but the changes weren't so bad that it made him tired of watching the humans' creative lifestyles. But he needed something that could rouse his spirit, even if he was reduced to a mortal's means of seeking pleasure.

And now here he was, perfectly groomed from head to toe, standing before a club's entrance door.

He entered and immediately the noise reached his ears, the annoying noise they called music. Odd. He thought music was supposed to be soothing, not baffling or ear-splitting. He would never understand this part of human culture. There were people dancing, drinking, chatting, and eating, as always. He took in the sight of an empty seat at the bar counter, then sauntered his way towards it, crossing the dimly lighted room and avoiding a herd of dancing people. As soon as he was about to reach the seat, another hand grabbed the back of the bar stool.

Arthur's emerald eyes trailed up the strong, toned arm until he met bright azure orbs.

A tall, well-built man with rather messy honey-colored blonde hair was the owner of that hand. He was also looking at him. Seconds passed and he hadn't moved an inch from the edge of Arthur's rightful seat. Arthur furrowed his eyebrows and glared, finally the man grabbed the meaning behind his scowl and let a charming smile form on his lips as he withdrew his hand, smiling all the while.

"Sorry, thought no one owned it," he uttered in what Arthur recognized as an American accent, yet he didn't sound all that apologetic.

"Technically, I don't own the seat. I'm not the owner of this club," Arthur said, crossing his arms.

"Oh really?" The taller blonde gestured, his eyes went up and down Arthur's body as if assessing. A strange glint shone within the light shade of blue.

Strangely, it didn't bother him all that much. "Yes, but I saw it first. I have the right to sit on it," he said, ignoring the taller blonde. He went to the seat and hovered over, settling himself comfortably.

The blonde foreigner chuckled and wordlessly hopped on an empty seat next to Arthur's, eying him with a wide grin on his face. "You're a funny one. Care for a drink?" he asked. Before the disguised god could answer, he already had a hand up and ordered a martini and a beer. Arthur threw a questioning glare at him and all he said was, "My treat."

But it didn't erase the frown on Arthur's face. "I can pay for my drinks."

"I wanna buy a drink for a new friend, is that so bad?" he answered at the same time the bartender brought them his order. A glass of martini for Arthur and a glass of beer for the blonde.

"Friend?" Arthur almost choked on the word.

"I'm Alfred. Alfred F. Jones." The blonde introduced himself. When Arthur didn't reply after seconds passed, the blonde stranger finally asked. "What's your name?"

The corner of Arthur's lips twitched. "…Arthur. Arthur Kirkland." He finally uttered, in low monotone.

"So, Arthur," The man named Alfred put his elbow onto the counter, a hand supported his head as he laid his right cheek on the palm, eyes looking intently at the quieter of the two.

"Where're ya from?"

Arthur rose an eyebrow. He felt slightly strange. This mortal man was being too friendly with him, was he actually _hitting_ on him? Hitting on _Ares_, the God of War? Oh, if only he knew who he really was, he wouldn't dare to-

"London. I'm from London." Arthur answered, sipping on his Martini casually.

He wasn't going to falter from such a thing, he thought. If this young man was interested in him in that way, he would let him try. If he had still been the violent God of War of the past, he would have severed the man's head from his shoulders for having treated him in such a way. But now he just felt… intrigued. He had never been interested in same-sex or homosexual relationships like the other Gods, but now that new things were scarce, he was beginning to feel curious. Only a slight curiosity, but it was there. He was interested in how the man would try to woo him into bed. He wondered how two men would do it. But then again, his Godly pride wouldn't allow him to sink that low.

But still, he was intrigued.

"So what're you into, Arty?" asked the blonde after their fourth glass.

"…a lot of things, like wars and histories." Arthur had begun to feel a bit light-headed, the whiskey appeared to have taken affect even though he was still sober. Alfred was fine because he had only drank beer so far. "I love the Spartans, great fighters, I tell you… Brute strength, firm beliefs, courageous… They were true heroes. And…" He excused himself when a hiccup made its way out of his mouth.

"I'm… especially interested in…Greek Gods."

"Greek Gods?" Alfred raised a brow. "You don't look like the type."

"It doesn't have anything to do with types, you prat… if Zeus heard you, he'd make a roast out of your arse-don't laugh, you damn brat, I'll really tell him to go roast your sorry arse." He retorted when Alfred laughed.

"Sure, Arty." He said, still chuckling. Ares scowled, swallowing the last drops of his third glass of whiskey. He vision began to wane and he began seeing blurs rather than solid images. He shut his eyes and shook his head, blinking several times. Surely he wasn't drunk…? He could hold even Dionysus's wines, surely he could tolerate a few glasses of the mortal liquor.

"But I heard Greek Gods're a bunch of cheaters and Zeus' the biggest cheater who, what? ten-timed his wife? Doesn't he love his wife at all?" Alfred asked jokingly, rubbing soothingly on the drunken man's back.

Arthur hiccupped, moaning softly at the comfortable massage Alfred was giving him. "O' course… Zeus loves mother… He loves mother, but mother's just…" He hiccupped again.

Had he not been staring at the counter table, he would see the intrigued glint in Alfred's eyes. "Hmm, what 'bout yer mom?" He asked, slipping a hand around the smaller blonde's waist. He pulled Arthur's body closer for him to lean on, his head laid on his muscular shoulder. He breathed in the fragrance in the short blonde tresses.

The personified God of War grunted, his head feeling dizzy. He saw blurs and his mind felt as if it was swimming in the air, circling and circling. "Mother… is too prideful… as are the others… pride ruins each one of them… their feelings… love…"

"Really? Even when they're married? Don't they look for human girls to marry?" Alfred brushed the bangs off Arthur's face, he tilted his head to him. Then he asked teasingly, "Don't you?"

Arthur's jade eyes were hazy and out of focus. "I do…" He slurred, unaware of the decreasing gap between his and Alfred's face. "In truth… I'm looking… for that person. One who… will make me fall madly in love… Like Zeus… to mother."

Smoldering blue eyes shone in lust and fondness. "Then, can't I be the one, Arthur? Can't I be that person?"

"What the fuck… are you talking about… I'm talking about… a bride. You're… a man." Arthur shook his head, staring lazily at the man in front of him. But Alfred's eyes didn't lose its shine.

"Then I'll be your bride." He said jokingly, arms sneaking behind the smaller stature of the blonde to embrace him closer. "I'd be a wonderful bride, don't you think?"

A listless, yet amused smile rose on Arthur's lips. "Idiot."

"So how're we gonna get married? Do Olympus Gods have certain complicated tradition to marry a human like me?" Alfred chuckled when Arthur face looked thoughtful, his lips pursed slightly into an adorable pout.

"…not so complicated." Arthur finally said, in a slurred manner, bringing a hand to Alfred's cheek. "Me, as the Godly groom must say… 'I shall share my immortal life with my beloved, forever we shall be bound'… and you… 'I shall accept this offer of marriage, 'till the end of the world we shall be bound'… and then we kiss and consummate the marriage…"

"Well, that's pretty easy." The American nodded.

"And…" Arthur continued, feeling listless. He dropped his head from Alfred's shoulder to his broad chest. "Rather than wedding rings… A holy emblem will appear… somewhere on each of our bodies… mm- I can't remember where." He furrowed his brows, trying to think but his head hazing.

Alfred smiled, cuddling the drunken man in his arms. He tilted his chin gently to look him in the eyes. "Are ya sleepy, Arty?" He asked.

"A bit." The older man hiccupped again.

"Then shall we go somewhere more… pleasant to consummate our marriage?" He whispered huskily.

"What are you-Mmm."

After that was an incorrigible blur of memories. Ares hadn't know human whiskey could beat Dionysus's wines. A few glasses was all it took to take his consciousness away, drowning his mind in a kaleidoscopic blurs of colors. It felt like his body was light, like he was being lifted into the air in Hermes's winged sandals. And then suddenly he felt like he was being thrown into the clouds, it was so soft and gentle. But then he could feel his cold skin was being showered by small bits of hotness that soon grew too big for his body to handle. He grunted and moaned, the growing hotness was painfully arousing. And he heard chuckles, heard his human name being said. A dark silhouette hovered over him and whispered hot breaths into his ears, he couldn't register them very well, since his head hurt so badly.

He tossed his head and he could hear himself moaning non-stop, asking for more. Why the bloody hell he was doing that, he had no idea. Ares only felt the heat scorching him in the lower part of his body and he just wanted release. But then there was a wave of sheer pain like he was being torn in two and he felt droplets of tears gathered in the corners of his eyes. Was he crying? The pain was far greater than anything he had ever experienced before, it defeated the pain of being stabbed through the chest with a spear. He hadn't even shed a tear for that and yet he could hear himself sobbing.

"Sorry," He heard a grunted apology, hot pants filling the room. Ares opened his eyes and saw sandy gold.

Something soft was placed on his forehead. "Sorry," The voice repeated.

A blur of hotness, of pain and pleasure soon filled him to the brim. And Ares found himself twisting and panting, sweating and grunting. The hotness he was drowning in was overwhelming and he was soon lost in an abyss of delirious pleasure. He was being pushed over the edge by a relentless force. He flailed his arms in a desperate attempt to hold on and he settled on firm, hard flesh. He arched his back, feeling very close to completion, feeling a dangerous excitement and a rejuvenating force growing inside of him.

"Arthur, say it," the voice above him panted. "Say you'll spend your immortal life with me."

What did he say…?

Arthur couldn't think in this state of mind. His body and mind felt unbelievably hot and hazy. He couldn't think straight. He just wanted to be released, out of this searing heat. "…I shall… share my-ah!" He groaned out when he felt a force on his lower body. "-Immortal life with-nngh-my beloved… forever we… shall be bound." He uttered the words in between pants.

He heard a satisfied pant, his blurred vision caught sight of a grin. "I shall accept-ugh-this offer…of marriage, 'till the end of the world we shall be... bound."

And a pair of lips covered his own.

At the same time as his completion, his mind became clearer and he snapped his eyes wide in horror of what had happened.

TBC

A/N: This is the revised version of chapter one. Thanks to **Wednesday1990** who talked some sense into my stubborn head of how important a beta was and I asked her to beta my story, and she also repaired the whichever mistakes I made since I have never been in America :D Thanks, darling!


	2. Enraged

A/N: Thanks again for **Wednesday1990** for proofreading! :3

**Rating**: M for language and suggestive themes.

**Main Pairing: **USxUK

**Side pairings:** GiriPan, RoChu, FraNada, GerIta, SpaiRoma, DenNor, SweFin, and others.

**Ares**-Arthur/England

**Heracles**/Hercules-Heracles/Greece

**Zeus**-Francis/France

**Apollo**-Vash/Switzerland

**Artemis**-Lili/Liechtenstein

**Athena**-Elizabeth/Hungary

**Dionysus**-Feliciano/N. Italy

**Demeter**-Katja/Ukraine

**Poseidon**-Ivan/Russia

**Hermes**-Lovino/S. Italy

**Hephaestus**-Berwald/Sweden

**Hestia**-Natalia/Belarus

**Hades**-Lukas/Norway

Warnings: M-rated contents, and language. Some stuff are made-up, but most are actual according to Grecian myths. This story is purely fiction.

**Chapter Two: Enraged**

Ares felt like he had been hit by one of Zeus's mighty lightening bolts and his groggy mind was only just beginning to comprehend the situation that he was in. Wide emerald eyes shone with a panic and shock that was so intense he could feel his heartbeat pounding in his ears like drums. He looked down onto himself, taking in the sight of his disheveled and naked state. He was still wearing his dress shirt, but the buttons were all missing and his pale, toned torso was too exposed for his liking. And his pants… his pants were _gone_. He tossed his head and found the indigo trousers were on the carpeted floor along with a pair of black boxers and they were a complete mess. How could his pants _fly_ all the way over there? He didn't even remember having taken them off.

And then there was… _someone_.

Even Zeus's lightening sounded much more appealing when he came to realize, in sheer horror, that there was someone hovering above him. He looked up and froze. He recognized that toned arm, that… _face_. He couldn't believe his eyes. That man. That blonde American stranger he met at the club. The one who had tried to woo him, and he had foolishly let him do so. He gaped and his throat go dry. His trembling jade eyes slowly trailed along the muscular torso down to-

His pupils grew even wider when he realized the man was holding his legs spread apart in a suggestive pose, pushing on them while pressing his-_freakin' sweet Zeus_-loins against Ares's backside. Mortified, Ares flinched slightly, then suddenly a jolt of pain mixed with pleasure shot up his spine and made him yelp in surprise, eliciting a soft grunt from above him. He was beyond shocked. Did he just feel something _move_ inside of him? Something hard and… fleshy. Fear dulled his mind when his sight went down again and found an epitome of abomination and nightmare.

_Zeus_.

Ares blanched and froze. He felt his heart stop and malfunction at the realization. He no longer gaped and was now tight-lipped. He stared blankly, wide-eyed. The shock only lasted for a split second before he could finally return to his rightful state of mind. And now that he was there, the shock instantly morphed into feelings of shame and a deadly wrath that was growing rapidly to the point that it would explode.

And it did.

"_Fucking_-Get off of me, you foolish mortal!" Arthur screamed at the top of his lungs, flailing his arms to push the bigger man.

Alfred was completely taken back by Arthur's unexpected monstrous strength and when he was pushed rather harshly, he lost balance which caused him to suddenly pull out. Arthur let out a throaty gasp in response while Alfred fell off the bed onto his back and he let out a pained shout.

Ares was outraged and ashamed. With his face reddened in anger and embarrassment, he pulled the sheets to cover his nakedness but stopped when a jolt of sharp pain crawled up his body when he tried to move. He leaned and clutched onto the bed post, his hand reached to hold his aching waist. He had just noticed he was still feeling hot and listless as well from the recent orgasm. Ares cursed indignantly, swearing he would remove that man's balls for doing this to him, once he had recovered a bit of strength.

"_Fuck_," He cursed, groaning from the pain in his waist. He couldn't move without having the pain weaken his knees. Growling in frustration, he tried to lighten the pain by massaging his backside, but when he did, he once again froze suddenly.

_Something_ warm dripped down his inner thighs, making thin trails down onto the clean sheets.

And he snapped.

"I'LL KILL YOU!"

Ignoring the pain in his waist and turning around, he felt an uncontrollable desire to go and rip a head off of American shoulders. But his body said otherwise and he unsuccessfully flopped down onto the soft cushion instead. His waist hurt so much that his legs refused to cooperate. Frustrated, he could only glare at the young man as Alfred rose to his feet, perfectly energized and sexually sated. And the American even had the galls to flash a toothy grin at him.

"Sorry, I was too rough, wasn't I? I forgot it was your first time," he said with a satisfied grin.

Arthur was too angry to utter words properly. "You… you… you fucking son of a bitch!" he snapped, glaring holes through the American's head. "How dare you! To me, Ares the Mighty God of War!"

Alfred only looked at him funny. "Now, now, Arty darling, are ya still drunk? I know the first time hurt like a bitch, I understand. You should rest for a bit."

"Drunk? _Drunk_!" Ares growled dryly, clutching at the sheets. "So that's how you got me into this mess! You mortal piece of shit, once I have my strength back I swear I'll-_what the?_"

The enraged God suddenly went quiet when his eyes fell upon Alfred's half-naked body. There was some sort of tattoo on his torso. Arthur noncommittally leaned forward to get a better look and he drew out his hand to finger the tattoo. The round tattoo was placed right in the middle of Alfred's torso, just below the chest and above the six-packed abs. He looked at it closely and saw what appeared to be a small emblem of a cattle that was wearing a _polos_, a high cylindrical crown, with a pomegranate laid at its front legs. Arthur's face went from hot shades of red to a sickly shade of pale blue at the sight.

"Hey, are you okay? You don't look so good." Alfred approached him, worry written on his face. He outstretched his hand to feel Arthur's temperature, when suddenly a pair of horrified emerald eyes stopped him.

"Tell me," His lips trembled. "I-how could we-did we… did we do something else besides… besides _sex_?"

"What? You're not satisfied?"

"Just answer, you damn brat!" Ares snapped again, causing the other man to stagger back in response.

"Well," Alfred scratched his cheek, a deep flush tinted his face. "You were… kinda wild then, so… umm-" His face reddened further.

Ares could feel warmth surging up his face at the memory, but refused to show any emotion.

"I was really going with the flow… and you looked like ya felt the same so I kinda got caught up-sorry, I know you're a virgin… damnit, I actually feel like the bad guy here." Alfred scratched the back of his head, showing a sheepish face. He coughed briefly, then resumed. "I'm really, _really_ sorry… that I… came inside."

Heat rushed to Arthur's head, not from the shame but from the bursting impatience and anger. "Not _that_, you bloody thick-headed idiot! _Aaaah_, screw this!"

He got up, his waist feeling less painful than before. Rage overtook him, he ignored the pain completely, and went to fetch his clothes, flinching as he bent over to pick them. He furiously began to dress himself, paying no attention to Alfred's vain attempts at apologizing. He gritted his teeth as he buttoned up his damp, wrinkled shirt, smelling the thick scent of sex clinging to him and his clothes. He didn't bother cleaning up, but he did flinch when more foreign liquid rolled down his legs although he desperately tried to ignore it. He didn't even want to know what that was. Ares had decided this was just one of his many night-stands and he would treat it as such, no more, no less.

And the tattoo. Arthur shrugged to himself. Maybe the tattoo was just a coincidence, maybe Alfred had the exotic tattoo done for him at some random tattoo shop, young men these days regarded it as fashion anyway. The fleeting thought ran through his mind when Arthur's fingers suddenly stopped to a halt. His eyes fixed upon his torso at the exposed part of his unbuttoned shirt, his lips parted slightly and his fingers began to shake uncontrollably. His eyes showed the reflection of an identical symbol placed on the designated location, just below his chest and above his toned abdominals.

A high-pitched scream tore its way out of Ares' mouth.

* * *

Heracles waved at the dark-haired boy, who in turn waved and smiled at him.

He could feel his face heat up and he only smiled sheepishly, still waving blankly although the boy had turned his back on him and walked away. Heracles stilled, staring at the spot where the boy vanished from within his line of vision. His ears caught the sound of a purr and he glanced down at the three kittens cuddled in an open-lidded box he held. They were still small, their eyes had barely opened. Their tiny paws kept patting at his arms as they mewled softly, probably from the pressure of his hold. Realizing this, he loosened his arms.

"Sorry, sorry." He muttered softly, earning relieved sighs from the kittens.

One of the kittens clawed at his shirt, and slowly crawled up. Heracles only stared at it absently as the kitten slowly crawled up to his shoulder, licking at his face with a tiny tongue. Heracles shuddered, a warm feeling rose from within his chest and his face flushed. The two kittens in the box mewled, wriggling around and clawing at his arms. They were absolutely adorable. Their purrs, their soft fur, their tiny little paws, their naughty spoiled attitude… He wanted to cuddle them and keep them close all the time.

On Olympus, there weren't any animals that were like cats. There were magnificent creatures that could understand and speak human languages, like pegasus, satyrs, dragons, and the others, but they were smart and stiff and boring. They weren't nearly as cute as these kittens. These animals may not possess their intelligence or the ability to speak or fly, but nothing could ever beat their cuteness. Cats might be self-centered and cautious, but they _killed_ with their looks.

He sighed.

There was no way Ares would let him keep them.

His older half-brother didn't like it when he brought home the stray cats he found. He thought they were dirty and smelly and they _threw up_ his cooking. Heracles only got to keep them for a few days before Ares found them new owners and Heracles had to let them go. Although he was sad, Heracles knew Ares did that because Heracles couldn't stay in the human world for long, he had to return to Olympus periodically. And when he had to leave, who would take care of the cats? Ares had a lot of other things to do, so Heracles had to half-heartedly give them up.

He stared sadly at the kittens, knowing he would soon give them up to someone else. He caught a hold of the one who was trying to climbed up his face and safely put him in the small cardboard box again. They mewled softly and Heracles smiled. They were so cute. Noticing the dark sky, he decided to return to Ares' house. He spun on his heels and walked down the park's path. Soon he reached a large road filled with sky scrapers that looked like they could reach Mt. Olympus. Heracles was amazed at how hard the humans worked to reach the heavens. Though their heights could barely accomplish it.

Heracles used to get lost often in this concrete jungle and Ares had needed to go through a lot to find him each time he did. But now he had gotten used to the present city Ares chose to live in at the moment. He usually moved somewhere else after a decade or two and Heracles always had a hard time remembering the new streets and neighborhoods all over again. Since the personified slaughterer had lived here for about two years now, he remembered the way home from the town's park or the downtown part of the city. He always made sure to remember the way to the park first since he enjoyed taking a nap on the green lawns.

He walked down the street, passing a bunch of shops and stores along the way. There was less crowd tonight, he mused, taking a hold of an escaping kitten and returning it back into the box. The roads were busy and filled with passing cars as they always were, though there weren't that many people on the sidewalk tonight. He was thinking about this idly when a loud noise that sounded like an exploding bomb rendered his legs still. Screams could be heard as well, most likely from passing pedestrians. He noticed the explosion had come from behind him.

Heracles stilled, didn't seem fazed in the slightest, but he did glance over his shoulder out of curiosity. He saw smoke and dust come out of the cracked brick wall of a building while a surge of water burst like a fountain from a broken pipe underneath the cracked cement, it dampened the street and the rubble under his feet. He glanced down and looked up again, turning his body half-way around. He noticed that in front of the cracked wall, there was a man. He had honey-colored blonde hair and a well-built body with strong, muscular arms and torso. Why did Heracles know that? Because the man only wore jeans and his upper body shirtless. He looked frightened and shocked. _Terribly_ frightened. That was what made Heracles curious.

And when his eyes followed the line of sight that the man's blue eyes made, his became wide too.

Another blonde had stepped out of the hole, his white dress shirt and indigo trouser were terribly messy and wrinkled. Green eyes shone madly with rage while a long and sharp silver spear was held tightly in his right hand, blue bolts of something like electricity jumped and flashed along the spear's length, making crackling noise each time they did.

Heracles felt his jaw drop.

"Ares…?" He muttered in both shock and disbelief. Was he daydreaming or was he really witnessing his half-brother ripping a hole through the brick wall of a public building with his Godly spear in hand? No, it couldn't be. He must be daydreaming since there was no way this could be the present Ares, who had always warned him to be careful not to reveal his real identity and who had always been careful to do so as well.

"Intolerable mortal," Ares spoke in a dangerously low tone. His eyes, filled with hatred, were fixated on the shocked blue-eyed blonde who was still on the ground. "How dare you-Tricking _me_ into having bodily contact with you, even… even making me do _that_." His grip on the spear tightened, his voice trembled with anger.

Arthur seemed to be purposely ignoring the wide-eyed stares of the people around them. His full attention was on obliterating the man in front of him.

He bit his lower lip, suddenly thrusting the sharp triangular blade dangerously close to the tip of Alfred's nose. "Only death can atone your sin!" He didn't heed the screams and gasps of the ordinary people as he pulled the silver spear back below his shoulder and then in a split second he thrusted the spear forth, aiming for the blonde's heart.

Before it could even touch the bare chest, Heracles had a strong hold on his brother's knuckle and the spear, preventing him from thrusting further. The box of kittens had been placed inn a safe corner,

"Ares, stop, you're in public," Heracles warned him, a drop of sweat made its way down his temples while his grip on Arthur shook. He had to use his full strength to stop a God from attacking and it was quite a hard thing to do.

"Heracles!" Arthur gasped, then glared at the young hero. "Let go, Heracles. I'm going to kill this perverted immoral bastard!" He uttered, adding more force into his thrust. Alfred flinched as the blade moved an inch closer, but the younger god hadn't let go of his hold yet. More drops of sweat trickled down his hard face, but he still insisted, putting more force into pulling back the spear.

"Let go!"

"No"

Heracles shook his head, looking his brother straight in the eyes. "Have you lost your mind? If you kill him right now, father will forbid the human world to you. You may kill him, but choose a better place to do it. Be wise, my brother."

"I DON'T CARE!" Ares snapped back at him, glaring fiercely at Heracles, who flinched slightly at his tone. His emerald irises shone crimson in anger and hatred, so passionate and intense, Heracles thought he was facing Ares, the God of Warfare and Bloodlust he had battled with centuries ago.

"This… this mortal dared to trick _me_, Ares the God of War! He put his filthy dirt at _my_ feet! I won't sit still until he's dead!" Ares growled, snatching his spear from Heracles's grip and turned his deadly glares towards the blonde, the spear made intense crackling noises in his hand. Alfred looked beyond terrified and confused at the same time.

Heracles, however, didn't make a sound. He was strangely quiet. For a second he was looking absently into the stormy sky beyond the sky-scrapping buildings, before he turned his head to his half-brother again. His expression hardened.

"Ares," he called out softly.

"What? You can't stop me, Heracl-"

His statement was cut off as he heard a loud dull sound and something struck the top of his skull with a monstrous strength, too sudden and too powerful for him to avoid. The pain registered into his head quickly, with eyes widened he turned around and saw Heracles, his blank face was staring at him. Arthur felt his vision began to wane and he lost the energy to keep standing, Heracles's face began to blur as his conscious began to fade away. His mighty spear fell onto the cemented ground.

He cursed under his breath before falling flat onto the ground. His head lied at the feet of the trembling American blonde. Alfred blinked, staring blankly at the fallen gentleman, his brain was still registering the events that had just happened before him. While Heracles was standing in silence, a perfectly fine, thick piece of red brick was held in his right hand.

Before long Alfred realized the shorter blonde needed medical attention, so he outstretched his hand to check up on him. But Heracles's more muscular arm suddenly blocked his vision. Heracles wordlessly grabbed onto Ares's shoulder, his dull brown eyes caught Alfred's azure ones.

"…he's fine, this much damage won't kill him," was all he said as he resumed pulling Ares up by the shoulder, a free hand wrapped around his waist to support the weight.

Alfred, who noticed the hand on Arthur's waist, furrowed his honey-colored eyebrows and frowned, glaring at the bigger man. Heracles noticed this, but didn't press further although he was slightly curious. To everyone's surprise, Heracles swung Ares easily onto his shoulder, the blonde may have had a smaller, slimmer stature than him, but he was still a man and Heracles could easily carry him like a bag of wheat. He calmly and blankly explained to the spectators around him that this was 'a scene for a new thriller movie' and told them the cracked wall was done by 'the latest microscopic bomb.' He then turned around and walked towards the corner to pick up his box of kittens. He smiled as they snuggled together and purred softly.

As he began to leave the scene, Alfred, who had calmed down and was now able to think again, got on his knees and shouted at the Grecian, "Wait! Hey, wait a sec, you!"

Heracles halted his steps, glancing over his shoulder.

Alfred was glaring at the dark-haired man, his muscular chest heaved up and down. "What was _that_ all about? Where are you taking him?" He pointed an index finger at the unconscious man on Heracles' shoulder.

"I'm his relative," he told him.

"So, your his relative, well nice to meet you, but that's not what I wanna know. Just-Just what's going on! I was with Arty the whole time and he just suddenly-"

"Wait," Heracles suddenly interrupted, his hazel sight went to the American's form, fixating at a certain spot on his bare torso. His eyes instantaneously widened when he saw the tattoo.

"Where did you get that?" he asked.

"What are yoy looking at? What d'you mean, man?"

"That tattoo," Heracles repeated, pointing at the emblem. "Where did you get that?"

"Tattoo…?" A questioning eyebrow went up. And then Alfred looked down to where Heracles was staring. "Huh…? What the hell is this!" He exclaimed in confusion, frantic fingers rubbing at the round emblem.

Heracles stilled and he turned towards a flash of lightening that had struck a silhouette of a pole in the distance, then he glanced at the motionless God. The reason behind Ares' rage and the emblem he saw on the blonde stranger somehow struck something into his head. He could vaguely guess what sort of disaster had occurred between the God and the human man. Suddenly, Heracles approached the perplexed blonde, promptly putting a hand over his gawking mouth.

"Sshh." He said. "The lightening's watching."

Then he released Alfred's mouth, who looked at him questioningly. Heracles only put an index finger to his lips, then he signaled for the American to follow him. Heracles spun on his heels and walked away, Arthur's head and arms swayed across his back as he moved.

Alfred rose an eyebrow, but tailed him anyways while the noise of a police siren quickly approached the scene.

* * *

Alfred was restless.

He felt uncomfortable, being a stranger in such a big, elegant house while he was in unsuitable clothing. He was still topless, his feet were bare, dirty, cold, and itchy and they made stains on the perfectly clean carpet. Sneezing, he wrapped his arms around himself, rubbing some warmth into his cold skin. He looked around and realized he was an oddball in this room that was filled with antique victorian furniture. A beautiful and comfortable-looking leather sofa to his left looked very inviting, but Alfred realized his dirt-caked jeans would dirty the sofa so he preferred to stand. He felt really awkward somehow.

A minute later, the Grecian guy came into the guest room, holding a fuzzy clean towel in his right hand and a mug of warm milk in his left hand. He glanced at the restless American, putting the mug down onto the elegant glass table. "Make yourself at home, don't worry about the sofa and the carpet," he said, throwing the towel at the blonde.

Alfred caught it easily, murmuring a 'thanks' while wrapping the towel around his bare torso. Heracles watched as the blonde sat down and sipped on the warm milk, making himself comfortable. Chestnut-colored eyes trailed down at the spot between the chest and the six-pack abs, staring at the tattoo. A strange gleam appeared within those orbs.

"Oh, yeah. Sorry, feels like I got no manners when your being so kind. I'm Alfred by the way. Alfred F. Jones," Alfred suddenly said, putting down the mug and thrusting a hand towards the quiet Grecian.

"Heracles." The young God accepted his hand and they shook.

"So… uh, Hercules?" Alfred uttered as he withdrew his hand.

"No, it's Heracles." The Grecian corrected.

"My bad, sorry. Heracles, is it? You said your Arthur's relative…?" The American timidly asked.

"Yes, I'm his stepbrother."

"Oh… _Oh_. I get it. I thought-no, It's no biggie." Alfred laughed sheepishly while scratching the back of his head. He looked oddly relieved.

"Mr. Jones…"

"Call me Alfred. After all, your Arty's brother."

Heracles lifted an eyebrow. "Arty?"

"Err… pretend you didn't hear that, please."

Heracles tilted his head in curiosity, but nodded in agreement. Then a moment of silence emerged between them. Heracles put both of his elbows onto the cold surface of the glass, laced his fingers together, placed his chin on top of them, and looked straight into Alfred's eyes. The American immediately became quiet, feeling the serious look the other man was giving him. His eyes were calm and cold, but something in them burned holes into his head, crushing him with an immeasureable weight. Alfred gulped nervously, a drop of cold sweat trickled down his temples.

"So, Alfred," he uttered in a low monotone. "I'm guessing something happened between you and my brother. Would you mind filling me in?"

* * *

TBC


	3. Tied

A/N: This revised chapter is all thanks to **Wednesday1990**! :3

**Rating**: M for language and suggestive themes.

**Main Pairing: **USxUK

**Side pairings:** GiriPan, RoChu, FraNada, GerIta, SpaiRoma, DenNor, SweFin, and others.

**Ares**-Arthur/England

**Heracles**/Hercules-Heracles/Greece

**Zeus**-Francis/France

**Apollo**-Vash/Switzerland

**Artemis**-Lili/Liechtenstein

**Athena**-Elizabeth/Hungary

**Dionysus**-Feliciano/N. Italy

**Demeter**-Katja/Ukraine

**Poseidon**-Ivan/Russia

**Hermes**-Lovino/S. Italy

**Hephaestus**-Berwald/Sweden

**Hestia**-Natalia/Belarus

**Hades**-Lukas/Norway

Warnings: M-rated contents, and language. Some stuff are made-up, but most are actual according to Grecian myths. This story is purely fiction.

Chapter Three: Tied

When he woke up, finding himself comfortably cushioned in his own bed, Ares had sighed a mighty sigh of relief. Inhaling the sweet scent of his clean sheets and his clean pajamas, he tossed his head around and snuggled into the pillow with a contented smile carved on his lips. Now, he was sure he was safe. There was only him, his bed, and his pillow in his beloved bedroom… well, Heracles might still be in the house, playing with the stray kittens he found somewhere on the streets while carefully trying to hide them from Arthur. But, hey, there wasn't a muscular, tall, blonde with that strand of golden hair that stood defiantly at the top of his head.

Yes, it was just some crazy dream.

Him, Ares, get tied down? And to a certain obnoxiously retarded blonde **male**? What a joke. He'd be made a laughing stock by the other Gods if they found out. He was the Great Ares! There was no way he'd be dominated by a mortal man, he might not mind homosexual relationships, but he was not one who'd be willing to be the woman. No sir. He was the God of War, the powerful, masculine God who could've had all the women or men he'd ever wanted. As Ares arrogantly mused with an amused smile on his lips he got up, his throat feeling dry.

His mood was far too good for him to mind the strange headache or the slightly dull pain in his back as he got off of the bed. He ignored them, stretching his arms wide and relaxing his muscles. He looked up at the clock and found it was already past ten. Thoughtful for a moment, he decided a glass of warm milk would do the trick. He went out of the room and descended the stairs, humming softly to himself. It took some time to reach the kitchen since his house was quite big, although he lived alone with the occasional guest every once in a while. It was located past the living room and the dining room.

As Arthur reached the end of the corridor and passed the living room, however, his smile immediately fell.

Heracles was in the room, sitting on the sofa. And across him, was the abominable nightmare that was supposed to have stayed a nightmare.

Widened emerald eyes met with ultramarine orbs. And that familiar throaty voice emerged from those lips.

"Arthur..." Alfred called to the stunned older man, a troubled look on his face. While Heracles only stared at him from over his shoulder, expressionless.

Then it hit him. Suddenly the pain in his head and back made sense to him and the memories came back abruptly, as ruthless as the thunder. And yet there he stood, like a statue, unsure whether to feel angry or confused or a little bit of the two. The rage he felt just then had deflated significantly, he wasn't sure if it was because of Heracles's brick, or maybe it was because Heracles was there between them that he realized he couldn't do something reckless anymore.

"Brother." Heracles's monotone voice snapped him back to reality. "I've heard it."

Ares suddenly stiffened, his heart began pounding in his ears.

"…wha-what do you mean? Heard what?" He stammered, nervous chuckles laced his tone of voice.

Heracles's dull eyes glanced briefly at the American, before turning back to Arthur.

"I've seen it, Ares. I've seen his mark and yours. He told me what happened between you two…" He glanced back at the seemingly lost blonde.

"And I told him about us."

Ares's eyes widened instantaneously.

"What!" He shouted at the top of his lungs, immediately went to grab at the Grecian's shirt collar, bringing their faces close. His tightened fists trembled in anger while Heracles only stared blankly into the smoldering emerald orbs.

"Are you fucking insane! What the fuck have you told him! Do you even understand what it will cost me..! Stay out of this! I can take care of this just fine-"

"That won't do, brother," Heracles cut him off. "I was there, I'm involved too."

"I said, **stay out of this**!" Ares barked fiercely, watching as Heracles's brown pupils widened slightly. "This is my problem, don't you dare interfere!"

"Then do you expect me to stay quiet? I've been a witness to your outrage today, Ares! I'm responsible for cleaning up your mess! And now you expect me to play blind?" Heracles suddenly snapped back, just as fierce, furrows formed between dark brows.

Ares cringed at this, but he didn't want to lose.

"I never asked for your help! Why did you have to be so damn diligent at such an inappropriate moment!"

"If I didn't, we would've been discovered right then and there," Heracles calmly stated, but his eyes shone sharply. "Do you think revealing your true identity just because some human made you angry is fine? The thunder was nearby, if I didn't stop you from committing murder in front of so many humans, Father would've taken you back home and you wouldn't have been able to go to the human world anymore!"

"Well, I didn't care! It was all that human's fault!" Ares pointed a trembling index finger at the confused American, who could only stare as the two fought.

"So now you're blaming him. I told you it was a bad idea to fool around, and now _you_ got fooled around with instead. I'd say you got what you deserved," Heracles coldly stated. Ares's face became redder with anger and embarrassment.

"Fuck, just whose side are you on, Heracles!"

"…I don't choose sides, Ares. I'm telling you this because you're my half brother. You know that this is out of your scope and now you're throwing tantrums at inappropriate times and places. This won't solve anything. For once, cast aside your pride and don't be childish."

Ares's lips were shaking, he opened and closed his mouth as if wanting to say something, but couldn't find the right words.

"Shit." He cursed under his breath, loosening his grip and eventually releasing the younger God.

"Then what should I do…? Now that this has happened…" He said in whispers that only Heracles could hear.

The Grecian was silent as he stared at his half-brother, who had his head hung limply on his shoulder. He sighed, adjusting his wrinkled shirt.

"…for starters," He glanced at Alfred, who had been quiet the entire time.

Then he glanced back to Arthur.

"Well, for the time being, stop thinking that killing him will solve the problem, although it might seem to be the easiest way. Save it as a last option."

Alfred flinched and shuddered. Face blanched.

Heracles allowed a small amused smile to appear on his lips. Oh, did he find this situation amusing.

"Then… since you're married now, I must say congratulations to you two. I hope you'll have eternal happiness. Oh, and… since I know about your little secret, can I keep the cats?"

* * *

The suit felt kind of uncomfortable, the brunette mused. There were too many layers that he had to wear in order to complete the disguise, unlike the comfortable, light clothing of the Greeks. After he put it on, it had felt tight around the wrists and the collar of the pink dress shirt had felt very itchy. The red tie was too tight as well it seemed, so he tried to tug at it to let the air down his sweaty neck. The long-sleeved shirt was made with stiff cloth, while the outer jacket was thick and hot, and he had to fasten the leather belt quite tight, because the trousers were too big and loose. The God sighed as he looked at the wide mirror of a restroom, spinning around to see how he looked.

He decided it wasn't too bad. He looked rather handsome, though it did feel uncomfortable as he was not used to it. But he heard the suit was the latest fashion in the human world, it was _in_ right now and although Dionysus didn't really understand it, if wearing this suit made it easier to seduce girls, he was totally up for it. He did think that the airy clothes they had in the old country were much better than this, especially since they cooked very delicious pasta and good wines…

His stomach growled loudly.

Dionysus stopped twirling around and began rubbing his empty stomach, it seemed remembering pasta had made him hungry. He wondered whether he should eat first or not, since he had an important task to do. He remembered something about checking a certain bizarre incident that had occurred in a certain hotel an hour before, since his brother Hermes already had something else to do and he had been ordered to check it out instead. Yes, he was certain Zeus had said something about that. Oh, and that he had to visit Ares and Heracles who were currently residing in the town as well, just to check up on them.

His stomach growled again.

He decided to grab something to eat first.

As soon as he left the public restroom, the delicious smell of various food soon hit his nose. Dionysus was immediately lured in by the exquisite smell of it. He noticed that he was in some kind of plaza and to the left and right stood rows of outdoor and indoor cafes and restaurants offering various types of foods and refreshments. Many people were enjoying themselves and their lively chatter and music filled the air. There were small neon signs, lamps, lanterns hanging on the trees and poles, lighting the entire plaza dimly like some sort of festival. Witnessing such excitement, Dionysus's eyes snapped wide open.

"Wow, a festival!" He exclaimed happily, immediately forgetting his original intentions.

Dionysus the God of Wine _loved_ festivals. There was nothing in this world he loved more than lively festivals and this was just about the kind that could drive him dance in joy, especially the kind where he could also drink and eat as much as he wanted! As if driven by magic, Dionysus immediately joined in the lively crowd, dancing with girls and chating with the local citizens. They were all nice and friendly, especially because Dionysus was very sociable, and he immediately blended into the crowd.

He danced several songs until he became tired and he stopped to rest for a bit in an empty seat of an old couple's table. They asked him to watch their table while they danced together, it was such a lovely sight. Dionysus felt like he had forgotten something but the thought was quickly swept away by his growling stomach. He then realized he forgot he was hungry in the first place and that all his joyful dancing had made him even hungrier. He felt lucky that he caught sight of an Italian restaurant when he had been dancing earlier, he was sure he could find some delicious pasta and a glass of wine to sate his demanding stomach.

There were several waiters strolling all over the place, delivering meals or taking orders. Dionysus glanced at his surroundings, looking for a waiter who had the Italian restaurant's logo on their apron. Fortunately, he quickly spotted one a little bit away from his table, a tall, blonde waiter with an apron tied to his waist which trailed down to his knees. He was standing alone at the entrance of the restaurant.

Dionysus waved at him, but he didn't seem to notice. Tilting his head, he tried to wave and call to him again.

"Heeeeyyy! I want to order pastaaaaaaaa!" He shouted, but the loud music hid his voice.

However, the waiter seemed to finally notice him and he cocked his head in his direction.

The lively God smiled and waved again, more vigorously than the last time. The blonde nodded silently and began to walk towards him, fishing out a notepad and a pen from his apron's front pocket. As he approached, Dionysus began to realize just how… big he was. Then when he stood right in front of his eyes, he finally noticed the big, muscular body of the waiter, tall enough to rival the electricity pole with a pair of intimidating light blue eyes glaring down at him and the look the furrowed blonde eyebrows made his face all the scarier.

It made Dionysus cringed in fear, tears gathering in the corner of his eyes.

"Your order?" The waiter asked in thunderous baritone.

"U-uhh…" Dionysus shook his head in confusion and horror, face blanching.

And the tall waiter seemed to notice his reaction.

"Oh… I'm sorry," he quickly said, his expression laced with worry as his face turned a bit red.

For some reasons, when he saw the troubled look on the German's face, the fear he felt earlier deflated a bit.

"Umm…" Dionysus tried to say, but he cringed away again when the blonde's sharp eyes turned to him again.

The waiter quickly turned away again, giving Dionysus a view of his side profile. The brunette peeked at him from under his arms, hearing the German spoke in a soft apologetic tone.

"I'm very sorry. Would you like another waiter to take your order?" He asked while not looking at the smaller man.

Dionysus had a feeling this situation hadn't happened just once, the man seemed very self-conscious. They way he immediately looked away the moment he noticed Dionysus's reaction made the God feel slightly curious. And a curious God was a fearless God.

"Umm, Mr. Waiter," he called. "Has this happened before…? I mean, uh… customers being scared of your… face?" he timidly asked, half-scared half-curious.

The German stiffened for a second, then he briefly glanced at the brunette, but quickly looked away again.

"Well… it's happened all the time, I understand if you want another waiter."

A strange unfamiliar feeling started swelling up in the God's mind as curiosity got the best of him.

"What's your name?" He asked with a beaming smile.

The taller man looked perplexed as he kept glancing back and forth, towards the brunette and the ground.

"Uh… wha-what?" he asked as if he had heard wrong.

"What's your name, Mr. Waiter?" Dionysus repeated, giving him a sweet, friendly smile.

The German's face reddened, and his gaze stopped at the God's lively caramel-colored eyes.

"…I'm … L-Ludwig." he stated, his gaze fell down to the white table.

"I'm… Feliciano Vargas. Nice to meet you, Ludwig."

Ludwig's face reddened further, he coughed purposely to hide the embarrassment. However, it seemed like this strange customer didn't mind him. It brought a small smile to his previously stiff expression. Dionysus, who caught a glimpse of that smile, looked surprised and yet strangely lured to it.

"So… your order?" Ludwig asked, pulling him back from his thoughts.

"Oh! Then…" Feliciano took the menu that Ludwig handed to him, and only read briefly.

"I want… Bolognaise pasta and a bottle of red wine," he said as Ludwig diligently wrote on his notepad.

Feliciano looked up to the tall, muscular man, noticing how attractive he would've been if only he could be friendlier, but seeing his reactions then, he wasn't bad. He might be just a bit shy. But even so his shyness was strangely… captivating. Dionysus found himself mesmerized by this mortal man. He felt he wanted to be closer to him.

"Is that all you're ordering, sir?" Ludwig asked, blushing further when he saw the brunette was staring at him.

"Ummm, that's not all," Feliciano decided, an amused smile on his face. "I also want you to stop calling 'sir' and… I want to order you too. Do I have to pay for your company?"

* * *

TBC

* * *

A/N: Yes, that's all for now. :D Did I mention that the Greek Gods are basically selfish and childish? Well, as Greece said in the manga strip, the Grecian Gods are all very human-like, well they resembled human children more than the adults. And they are always constantly bored, that's why they meddled with the humans' affairs a lot. I think you get that when you raise a kid who have experience nothing of the bitter world and spoil them rotten all the time. The only ones who actually matured are the ones who had gone through ordeals in the human world, for example, the demi-Gods, especially Zeus's wedlock children, since Hera always do her best to make their lives a living hell. Yes, poor Heracles had it especially rough. For some reasons, Hera hated him more than the others. That's why he's so mature and composed now. :-)


	4. Irresistable

A/N: This revised chapter is also thanks to **Wednesday1990**! :D

**Rating**: M for language and suggestive themes.

**Main Pairing: **USxUK

**Side pairings:** GiriPan, RoChu, FraNada, GerIta, SpaiRoma, DenNor, SweFin, and others.

**Ares**-Arthur/England

**Heracles**/Hercules-Heracles/Greece

**Zeus**-Francis/France

**Apollo**-Vash/Switzerland

**Artemis**-Lili/Liechtenstein

**Athena**-Elizabeth/Hungary

**Dionysus**-Feliciano/N. Italy

**Demeter**-Katja/Ukraine

**Poseidon**-Ivan/Russia

**Hermes**-Lovino/S. Italy

**Hephaestus**-Berwald/Sweden

**Hestia**-Natalia/Belarus

**Hades**-Lukas/Norway

Warnings: M-rated contents, and language. Some stuff are made-up, but most are actual according to Grecian myths. This story is purely fiction.

* * *

**Chapter Four: Irresistible**

Dionysus smiled as the German man suddenly put a halt to his scribbling. The way his wide, brilliant blue eyes slowly met Dionysus's gaze with his lips slightly parted really was adorable. He just stared at the teasing god, unmoving with a blank look on his face. Then as Feliciano had expected, shades of red quickly spread over his cheeks all the way to his ears. He could even feel the steam emitted from the blonde's flushed face.

"I-I beg your pardon?" He stuttered, clearly trying to verify if he had heard wrong.

Feliciano smiled sweetly, putting one knee atop of the other while shifting his weight comfortably onto the back of the chair, his twined fingers elegantly tapped at his thigh. He looked at the perplexed masculine man with seductive eyes that unhurriedly trailed up the blonde German's muscular figure, from his shapely thighs to the area that was covered by that apron while making sure the German waiter was fully aware of his gaze. Dionysus chuckled, his eyes slowly went up the clothed muscular torso, his broad chest and shoulders, his neck, then finally to his beet-red face.

"I'm new in this town, you see," Feliciano said silkenly while he continued to smile sweetly. "I was wondering if you would talk with me… while we have dinner."

The German, under the pressure of those seductive eyes, averted his own eyes to the ground.

"W-well… I'm afraid I can't do that, I'm still working. B-besides, you're already familiar with the locals, I saw you talking with them earlier…"

"Oh, so you were looking at me then?" the god of wine feigned surprise, rewarding him with an even more embarrassed German. Ah, it seemed he had hit the right spot.

"N-no, I mean…. I did, but i-it's because the boss said I couldn't take orders and I didn't have anything to do at the time so… I-I saw you were having fun, I was just-" Ludwig stuttered, his voice becoming softer and softer with each word he spoke. He continued rambling in a very soft voice that soon became incomprehensible to Dionysus' ears.

"It's okay, I'm interested in you too," Feliciano bluntly stated with his ever present charming smile.

Ludwig went quiet and kept staring at his feet like they were the most fascinating thing in the world. It looked impossible for him to blush anymore than he was presently, his face resembled something like a boiled crab now.

Suddenly, cheers from the crowd interrupted the awkward silence (in Ludwig's opinion). Both of them turned and saw that the music had stopped and people were bowing to their dancing partners. The others clapped their hands and cheered as well although they hadn't participated in the dance. Laughter and chattering filled the air, smiling happy faces livened up the already bright atmosphere. There was such pleasant merry-making this night.

_"Thank you everyone! A pleasant night to you all! The next song is dedicated to the couples out there. A romantic song just for you. Come dance with your significant other!"_ she said, signaling to a bearded brunette on her left, who had started to pluck at his guitar strings.

The audience cheered. Couples started to leave their tables to enter the plaza, young and old, married couples and teenagers, they all entered the dancing area and began to dance with their partners. The singer had also begun to sing beautifully. The dance was meant for slow dancing so that the couples could take their time in the arms of their beloved ones. Feliciano and Ludwig were looking at them in silence before the curious God glanced up at the quiet German and a thought hit him.

"Why don't we dance too?" He suddenly suggested.

Ludwig turned sharply to him, clearly surprised.

"Wh-what? I'm sorry?" He said shakily.

Feliciano decided that putting his hunger on hold was worth this chance.

"I feel like dancing again," he stated as he stood up.

Before Ludwig could say anything more, Feliciano had grabbed onto his right arm and pulled him. Instinctively, the German followed the insistent God, wondering where the strength behind that small figure had come from. Despite Feliciano's slim appearance he was much stronger than Ludwig had previously thought since he was able to forcefully drag the much more muscular and bigger man into the plaza. In all honesty, Ludwig was more than confused about the man's unexpected whims and actions. And somehow he wasn't able to reject Feliciano either. The smaller man was just so-

He was just so irresistible.

The German shook his head. He tried to keep his mind straight and clear. Obviously, Feliciano only wanted to play around with him. And Ludwig had work to do, if he blew this, his brother-who was also his boss- would not be pleased. He had to reject Feliciano quick, before he lost his senses to this irresistible stranger.

"Sir, I beg your pardon. I-I have work to do, my shift-"

"It's Feliciano, call me Feli if you'd like." The brunette said without looking at him, keeping a tight grip on the German's arm.

"Umm…" Ludwig was reluctant for a moment, but they had already entered the plaza. They stopped in the middle of the dancing area within a cluster created by dancing couples. They didn't seem to notice the both of them, off in their own little worlds. Feliciano quickly loosened his grip and stood in front of the blonde, smiling up at him. Ludwig looked perplexed as Feliciano took his hand and put it around his slim waist (Ludwig blushed again) then took the other into his own hand, twining their fingers.

Feliciano's free hand went to Ludwig's broad shoulder. He noticed the troubled face the blonde was making. Smiling and ignoring the man's expression, he brought their bodies closer, pressing his face against Ludwig's broad chest until he could hear the fast beating of his heart. The noise was loud, thumping strongly in Feliciano's ears.

"Umm, sir, I-"

"Feliciano," the brunette repeated, letting go of the blonde's hand and his hand wandered up the other's back instead. "Call me Feliciano, Ludwig."

Ludwig was dumbfounded by Feliciano's words, feeling the heat rush up to his face once more. The brunette had settled himself comfortably in his arms and it made him feel oddly relaxed. However, suddenly the brunette pulled his head back slightly, staring up at him expectantly. Ludwig felt as if the air had been robbed from him when the brunette looked up at him like that. Feliciano didn't say anything, he only stared up at him in silence as if he was expecting something. The blonde gulped nervously, parting his lips.

"Feli… ciano."

And suddenly those caramel eyes lit up and he smiled triumphantly, his smile was innocent like the smile of a child.

"I like the way you say my name!" he declared.

But it was his boldness that really threw Ludwig off balance.

Dionysus sighed contentedly, feeling as if he had found something worth the trouble of coming to the human world. Why had he come to the human world, anyway? Dionysus felt like he was forgetting something. But that didn't matter as he was enjoying himself in Ludwig's gentle warmth.

* * *

"Unbelievable."

"This is so bloody unbelievable," Arthur grumbled again as a frustrated hand threaded through blonde tresses. He grunted and his furrowed thick brows made wrinkles between them. He then brought the mug of milk in his hand to his mouth, swallowing the sweet white fluid in one breath. He exhaled contentedly, then brought the mug down onto the bedside table. With an annoyed look on his face, he reluctantly glanced over his shoulder towards Alfred who was now standing by his opened bedroom door, looking anxious.

Why was that damn American here in his bedroom anyways? Oh, he remembered. Heracles had kindly told him to 'be an adult and take responsibility for his own actions' and that now Alfred had lawfully-by Olympian Gods standards-become his 'wife' they had to _share_ the bed together, despite the fact that Ares's house could accommodate twenty people and there were currently twelve ready-to-use guest rooms the American could use. He had refused, of course, but Heracles had somehow gotten it into his head about _human common sense_ that said that newly weds must share the same bed in the same room, without fail.

Ares swore that the sleazy cat-lover just wanted to see him suffer because he kept throwing out his cats.

And now he had to put up with feline fur all over his carpets and sofas from now on.

"Arthur," Alfred suddenly called.

The older man snapped his head towards the other blonde, glaring.

"What?"

The American didn't seem fazed, however.

"So… I'm sleeping here?" he asked, oblivious to Ares's deadly glare.

"As the bleeding shit-eating fucker insists, as annoying as that is, that's what it looks like," the older man answered coldly, two fingers rose to massage his throbbing temples.

Alfred went quiet then, hands clutching at the towel that hung around his tan neck. He looked slightly uncomfortable and slightly anxious. He looked at his feet timidly, slowly glancing up at the irritated God.

"Arthur, why are you mad?"

Arthur turned to the younger man, looking blatantly displeased.

"What? Did you think I wouldn't be?" He asked icily, glaring at the American.

The growing anger within him demanded release, but Ares knew that he had to hold it in. Ares had always been short-tempered, probably since the day he was born. He used to release his anger by doing whatever he liked, usually by killing or participating in wars. However, now he couldn't do as he pleased because there were a new sets of rules that forbid him to do things like that.

And one of these rules strictly forbid carelessly killing humans. Just his luck.

Alfred looked offended.

"I don't get why you're so angry," he said, looking slightly annoyed too now. "I thought you liked me too, that's why you agreed to come with me, not because you were drunk."

"Did I ever say I like _you_? _Me_? Well, let me tell you, I only say such things when I want to get into someone's pants and I'm sure as hell I didn't want to get into yours," Arthur retorted.

Alfred gave him a hurt look. "I know I made a mistake by making moves on a drunk. I must've… misunderstood you."

"You're damn right about that! I can't believe I even let an idiotic brat like you come close to me," The older man barked harshly. "This is just a big mistake. I can't believe it turned out like _this_. I don't even know how to fix it without resorting to murder. If not for Heracles interrupting me, you would've been dead right then and there in town."

Alfred flinched at his harsh words, but he kept a straight face.

"I know you're angry at me… I understand you don't want to have anything to do with the likes of me. But let me tell you this: I don't regret it." His statement made Arthur turn to face him. The blonde's face was serious.

"And... I'm glad it turned out the way it did."

"You… fucker!" Arthur jumped to his feet, clenching his fists. "You don't regret it? What the bloody hell are you talking about? Are you nuts or are you just so fucking retarded that you can't even understand the situation we're in! I never wanted to have sex with you! I just wanted to play around a little bit and you just had to come and ruin it. And now… I don't know if this was just a really bad joke, a bad joke where now I'm married to _you_."

The taller blonde frowned.

"I said I don't regret it! I… I don't really understand the stuff your step-brother told me, I honestly don't get all the crap about Greek Gods and all that. Hell, I swear it just went through one ear and out the other, but I don't regret having sex with you," he said firmly. "And I don't mind our relationship either."

Arthur suddenly went quiet.

"…what?" he asked, making a face and feeling as if someone had just told him a lame joke. "… wait a minute, did you just say that you… don't mind the-the marriage?"

Alfred was silent for a moment, before nodding.

Arthur's face blanked, eyes widened and lips parted slightly. He backed away, hitting the bedside table behind him.

"Wh-what are you saying…?" he nervously laughed. "You're joking, right?"

But Alfred didn't answer. He only stared at Ares with earnest sky-blue eyes.

Arthur suddenly felt irritation mixed with embarrassment as heat rushed up to his cheeks.

"What the fuck are you thinking?" he shouted frantically, hands landing on the wooden surface of the table behind him. He was looking down at Alfred's legs rather than his face. For some reason, he didn't dare look at his face and those… those piercing blue eyes that were looking at him with such burning intensity… it crushed him with an invincible pressure he had never felt before.

"I bet you think I'm crazy," he heard Alfred say and he saw him taking a step forward. "But I can't help it. Sometimes I think I really have gone crazy. Especially after seeing you blow stuff up and produce spears out of thin air."

"Are you a fag or something?" Arthur screamed, cursing when he realized his voice had faltered. His gaze fell downward to stare at the fuzzy brown carpet beneath him, glaring holes in it.

Another step forward. Arthur quivered.

"Well, I used to think that I was straight. I like girls more than guys at least, but…"

Another step.

"When I saw you for the first time… I don't know. I can't even begin to describe it, you were so… so _majestic_. It was like you were surrounded by an aura no one else has. You were shining, more brilliant than any other person I've ever met. I couldn't help but look at you, the way you moved, the way you talk, your voice, even your grumpy faces, and your attitude, everything about you was mesmerizing. You were so god-like."

_That's because I _am_ a God… I'm Ares, the God of War. _Arthur mused wordlessly, somehow unable to find the voice to speak it. How could this be? This human's voice made him feel heavier and heavier, paralyzing him. Arthur then clutched at the front of his pajamas, feeling his chest and the area of the symbol burn. It left him struggling to breathe. The heat seemed to spread up to his face, and down to-

"Arthur."

Ares snapped back to reality, looking at a pair of lean legs clothed in jeans that were right before his eyes, signaling that the other party was close.

"Arthur."

A hand sneaked across his face, carding through his short blond locks to touch his right ear. Then another did the same with the left, gently forcing him to look up to meet a pair of sky-blue eyes. Arthur held his breath at the closeness of their faces, knees trembling slightly.

"Arthur, I think I'm seriously in love with you."

An odd sensation ran up and down his spine.

"Wh-wha…?" He struggled with his words, trying to name the unfamiliar sensation spreading through his body. The shock lasted for so long that he was still at a loss for words when the taller blonde leaned down to capture his parted lips in a kiss.

It was gentle, nothing like the hungry, bruising kind of kisses Ares was used to. Alfred only brushed his lips over Arthur's, slowly pressing deeper, unhurried. A few seconds later, he began to plead with Arthur to open his mouth by lightly tapping his tongue on his and the short-tempered god seemed to unconsciously permit this. Even after he did, Alfred remained completely gentle, he didn't rush, only sliding his tongue over Arthur's and occasionally twining them.

"Mmm," Arthur sighed into the kiss, breathless.

The kiss was passionate, as if trying to prove Alfred's words, and he could feel the heat rush downward, straight to his loins. He felt his knees slowly give out, but Alfred had snaked his arms around his smaller body to support his weight while deepening the kiss even further. They parted a minute later, out of breath. Arthur was panting rather heavily, face flushed, his bright green eyes half-lidded.

"Arthur," Alfred whispered in his ear, nibbling it. The god shuddered. "You've no idea how sexy you look right now."

* * *

Heracles Karpusi was in his own personal heaven.

With the kittens safely cuddling the pillow of his bed right next to him, licking his fingers so very sweetly, he was in a complete bliss. Of course, he thought all the trouble with straightening up and lecturing his stubborn older brother was worth it now that he was able to keep these cute little creatures. Oh, how happy he was! He had even picked out names for them. The quieter of the three kittens, the black one, was named Kuro, which meant 'black' according to the Japanese boy he met this afternoon in the park. The white one was Shiro, which meant 'white'. And the kitten with white and orange stripes was named 'Tora' because he resembled a tiger. Their names had all been picked out by Heracles' new friend. The memory of the polite boy he had met brought a smile to his face.

Tora seemed to like climbing very much, he noticed, because the naughty kitten had climbed up his face and was now struggling to keep his balance at the top of Heracles's nest-like head. He had been like this before too, but even this side of him was very adorable. Meanwhile, Kuro and Shiro seemed content with snuggling the pillow and were now sleeping close to each other. Their cuteness nearly killed Heracles. He was supposed to be the Greek's greatest hero, yet he was utterly defeated in the presence of such lovable creatures. So soft and snuggly, so terribly deadly they were.

Tora mewled in protest when Heracles picked him up by the nape of his neck, putting him back with his brothers. He kept mewling in annoyance, pawing at Heracles's arm with his angry little undeveloped claws. Heracles only chuckled, bringing up a hand to scratch at the underside of the kitten's chin, which was every cat's weak spot. Tora immediately stopped pawing at him, now purring in delight. His huge orange eyes became a pair of slits as he enjoyed the attention, exposing more of his neck for Heracles to scratch.

And then suddenly a faint noise reached his ears.

Heracles turned his head slightly, wondering. He stopped to listen carefully as the noise grew a bit louder.

After he heard it, his dull eyes widened.

Yes, he was sure it was Ares' voice, moaning loudly from his bedroom on the second floor, right above Heracles's own. He heard Ares scream again, much louder this time, followed by a rythmatic creaking noise. Heracles went silent, rubbing his chin in thought.

"…And he seemed so against it just a little while ago. Strange, isn't it?" he muttered, turning to the kittens. Only Tora reacted by tilting his tiny head. Then a thought suddenly crossed Heracles's mind.

"Oh." He tapped a fist at his palm with a light thump. "I forgot to tell Ares."

"I forgot that Zeus once told me, that the wife who shares the holy marriage symbol has a unique ability… the ability to control the husband's sexual desire towards her. And that it renders the husband unable to resist her. Just like Zeus and Hera. Ares should be careful around his new spouse," he mumbled, looking reluctant to go interrupt the couple.

This time Alfred's moan echoed throughout the house.

"I guess I have to tell him later." Heracles nodded to himself.

Tora mewed lazily.

* * *

TBC

* * *

A/N: I needed to censor out the lime in this chapter because the administrators are currently targeting MA-rated stories. I can't afford to let them take down American Wife, given how much my readers like it. If you would like to read the original chapter, tell me your email in review or PM, I'll send it to you.


	5. Fondness

A/N: Okay, this is the fifth chapter you're waiting for! I promised a fast update so here it is. I know this sounds a bit weird, but I'm gonna slip the sub-pairings' mini-stories in between the main plot. Some will have great influence with the main story, some might not all that important.

**Rating**: M for language and suggestive themes.

**Main Pairing: **USxUK

**Side pairings:** GiriPan, RoChu, FraNada, GerIta, SpaiRoma, DenNor, SweFin, and others.

**Ares**--Arthur/England

**Heracles**/Hercules--Heracles/Greece

**Zeus**--Francis/France

**Apollo**--Vash/Switzerland

**Artemis**--Lili/Liechtenstein

**Athena**--Elizaveta/Hungary

**Dionysus**--Feliciano/N. Italy

**Demeter**--Katja/Ukraine

**Poseidon**--Ivan/Russia

**Hermes**--Lovino/S. Italy

**Hephaestus**--Berwald/Sweden

**Hestia**--Natalia/Belarus

**Hades**--Lukas/Norway

Warnings: M-rated contents, and language. Some stuff are made-up, plots based on Grecian myths. This story is purely fiction.

**Chapter Five: Fondness**

Heracles had developed a new habit.

It happened when he woke up with his three little kittens crying and mewling and pawing at his sleeping head. It turned out they were hungry. And although he was definitely not one to wake up at six early in the morning--and because he could barely sleep thanks to his loud brother and his spouse--he still answered the calls of his beloved babies. Despite the extreme drowsiness, he got up from the bed, took the kittens in their box, and absently went to the kitchen. He yawned loudly as he opened the fridge and took a carton of fresh milk, and then heat it up in a pan.

But because the kittens were too small to lick the milk by themselves, Heracles had used a pipet to feed them, one by one. He sat in the living room sofa, gently holding Shiro against his chest when feeding him. The white kitten mewled contentedly after Heracles filled his little belly, while his two brothers were mewling impatiently for their turns. Putting Shiro back into the box, the contented kitten immediately snuggled against the towel and soon fell asleep. Heracles softly picked up the other two, filling the sweet liquid into the pipet before starting to feed them too.

Meanwhile nursing the two kittens, Arthur entered the living room. Heracles lifted his face to see his listless half-brother, who wore only the top of his pajamas that went down to his knees, was leaning onto the wall, a hand was on his waist as he wobbled his way while using the wall to support his staggering steps. He was muttering something Heracles couldn't hear well, but he was sure they were a series of curses, seeing the irritated look on Ares's face and the occasional mentions of "bloody sex-maniac" and "I'll sever his huge motherfucker wang later". He didn't seem to notice Heracles's presence until he was about a feet away from the dining room, he noticed Heracles was staring at him with that blank look on his face.

Arthur twitched under his gaze.

"Don't. Ask." He threateningly pressed every syllable and then proceeded wobbling and staggering towards the kitchen, where he stored medicine salves and pain killers in the cupboard besides spices.

The Grecian only shrugged his shoulders, then continued the nursing. A while later, a beaming and lively blonde American practically jumped down the stairs all grins and laughters, and topless. He cheerfully greeted good morning to Heracles, which was returned lethargically by the Grecian. He flopped down onto the sofa across Heracles, mentioning how beautiful the morning was with a big wide grin on his face and started to chatter away whether Heracles was paying attention or not.

"Aah, what a great day! So nice, eh?" He exclaimed with a satisfied grin, in contrast to the dark bags under the Grecian's eyes. The dark-haired man only nodded.

"Oh yeah, step-bro! Have you seen Arty? He's not in bed when I woke up earlier." Alfred suddenly asked.

"He's in the kitchen." Heracles replied blandly.

"He's cooking breakfast? I thought I'm supposed to be the wife." He chuckled brightly. "Anyway, he was so sexy last night, begging me for more with such a cute voice. It was amazing. I don't know any better way to consummate our first night than making love all night long." He proudly told Heracles.

As Alfred went on and on, his story became even more and more detailed and explicit, Heracles wondered whether he should tell the American that he already know every detail without having him told him. They were loud, descriptively and verbally shout out every action, and with all the screams and moans that kept Heracles awake all night long, he only needed to tweak a bit of imagination to see the exact prototype image of what had happened in the room just above his. But even if he wanted to say to him, the blonde didn't give him a chance to. He just kept on and on talking.

It was until the cheerful American was silenced by a frying pan on his face hurled by none other than a very pissed Arthur, who came from the kitchen with a white apron on and the pan previously in hand. Heracles watched as Ares screamed out colorful curses right at Alfred's face, slapping his face as additions to his insensitive indecency and Arthur's back pain. Heracles only stared absently at them, while Tora had yet again climbed up his chest.

_Spousal abuse on the first day_? he idly thought as he watched Alfred being slapped around._ This is going to be an interesting marriage worth a while._

"You retarded piece of motherfucker!!" Ares had screamed with reddened face filled with anger and embarrassment. "How dare you talk that indecent thing in _my_ house!?"

"C-calm down, Arty--gah!--it's totally fine if you're embarrassed--ugh!--I wonsh talkes abou' owr sex life againsh." Alfred stuttered in between slaps.

"You'd better be!! Have you had any idea how much pain you've caused to my arse!? If I didn't have Apollo's medicines at my disposals, I would've been bedridden for days, you son of a bitch!!"

"I-I'm sorry!! -ouch!- Stop slapping me!"

"You deserve it, you freaking' impotent shit, and you dared calling yourself the _husband at night_!? Are you asking for death!?"

"Hey! -agh!- I am NOT impotent!! You looked like you were really enjoying it last night!! Why, you came eight times!"

Arthur's face reddened further to a full-blown crimson, even Heracles could feel the heat emitted by his face. "You-you-you idiot!!! I said shut up!! I wasn't feeling well last night and you took advantage of that, so don't get cocky you brat!!!"

"Actually, that's not the case." Heracles had wanted to say, but the two were too busy in their own little world. Even if he did, he wasn't sure if Ares could hear him at this rate. He wondered when would be the perfect time to say it? Maybe he had to wait until things had settled down.

Arthur continued on berating at his spouse and Alfred resumed his futile attempt at appeasing the God's wrath. Heracles decided to leave the room at that moment, that he had done nursing the kittens. By the looks of it, Ares had really taken his advice to mind, that he no longer tried to kill the American, just slapping him around though. But at least it wouldn't kill Alfred. So Heracles stealthily left the room with the box of kittens, slowly crossing the dining room towards the backdoor of the house.

Heracles left the house a minute later, cradling the box of kittens in his arms gently. The day was still young and fresh air soon invaded his nostrils, a perfect time to take a stroll in the park. Along the way there, the neighbors greeted him warmly and he greeted them back with a wave of his hand. They were very polite and friendly, and Heracles really liked the suburb area Ares currently lived in. The town was small but lively, the neighborhood was friendly and helpful. And there were plenty of trees and flowers and beautiful gardens as well as a relaxing park with a small but clean lake. People who passed by him waved and bid him good morning. And the air was fresh and crispy, very relaxing. Unlike the last town Ares chose, it was too crowded, too much pollution, and the people were cold and unfriendly. Heracles liked this place much better.

The park was a bit far from the neighborhood, but he didn't like to ride on a bus, it made him somehow feel very sick in the stomach. One time when he took a ride with Ares, he had vomited his breakfast as soon as they arrived on the ground again. Since then he refused to take any nauseating ride of any kind of human electronic transportation, he knew he was just not cut out for it. Besides, his kittens needed to be under the warm sun so they stayed healthy. And he was sure they wouldn't like bus rides too, Heracles decided.

It was a normal morning and he was in his usual morning walk, but when Heracles was walking along the downtown, then he turned right on the corner, his steps was halted suddenly. It was supposed to be the usual street he usually crossed to get to the park, but the last night incident with his brother had caused him to expec the remnants of destruction his brother left there, in front of him. Or maybe even police cars surrounding the hotel area where Ares busted the brick wall of the hotel and he had even expected yellow lines that forbid the citizens from entering the crime scene. But he found none of his expectation came true. Instead the street was clean, not a speck of dust or rubbles of broken bricks existed at the corner of the road. It was as if someone had swept it all clean in one night. Did the town's police did this? He rather doubt it.

As Heracles walked forth, eyes trailing and inspecting the area, his dark eyebrows furrowed slightly as he noticed more strange phenomenons. The wall had been mended perfectly. Even the busted pipe had been fixed beneath the previously cracked cement floor that had also been mended so perfectly fine it rose suspicion in the Grecian's mind. And the color of the mended hole was what rose the most suspicion. The newly mended brick wall didn't look the least new at all, as if it had been mended with poor quality, as well as moldy bricks because Heracles did not find any difference between the mended wall and the not. They looked equally as old, as worn out, and as dirty. If it was newly mended, the cement should still be wet and the bricks used to mend it were of the light color of orangeish brown, not dark reddish brown like it had been eaten by age. But when he touched it, the cement had perfectly dried.

When he looked around, the townspeople seemed to only passed by without a second glance to the supposedly busted. It was odd, some of them, Heracles spotted, were the witnesses of last night's incident when the wall exploded right in front of their eyes. But none seemed to care nor showed a speck of curiosity. It was abnormal, Heracles mused as he stared at one of the witnesses who happened to pass by him. Humans were usually very curious, especially towards strange things that happened around them and because this was a small town, news spread quickly. And yet no one paid attention to the actual crime scene.

There was only one explanation to this.

Although Heracles had a theory, but he wasn't really sure. He had made sure to temper the humans' memory to believe that it was just some sort of gas accident that had caused the explosion before he left the scene last night. But clearly, this wasn't his work. Someone had cleaned up the crime scene spotless and re-tempered the witnesses' memories. Certainly, another God resided within the town. But he was certain it wasn't Zeus, Zeus would never do such trivial chores. Maybe someone he sent here? It was plausible. Could it be Hermes or maybe Apollo? He couldn't be sure. The fact that they hadn't come to Ares's house showed that they had yet to know who was behind the explosion. As far as Heracles knew, only he and Ares were in this town, but it didn't close the possibility of having another God within the neighborhood.

He felt a soft movement from the box, looking down at them they were snuggling against one another.

"…I hope we won't be found out for the time being." Heracles muttered to himself, feeling sure of himself. Smiling at the adorable creatures, he added. "Let's meet your Godfather."

A few minutes later, Heracles had entered the park. There were already a lot of people there, especially the ones who were either jogging or riding a bike and working out. The park was just like any other park, plenty of trees and flowers and grass hills and there was a small lake in the middle of the area. Heracles entered the green field of grass while his eyes searching for a certain spot he and his special friend usually met. A few more steps and he already spotted it: A row of beautiful wisteria trees covered in fully bloomed velvet bluish-lilac flowers that gracefully hung by its branches, and right under the trees was a wooden bench where a seemingly young dark-haired Asian man. He wore a traditional Japanese kimono. he was sitting there with both of his eyes closed and tranquility written on his face. He seemed to be enjoying the sweet scent of morning air as well as the fragrant wisteria flowers.

Heracles's heart jumped in joy at the sight of the man as he hurried his steps towards the said man. "Honda-san!" He exclaimed.

The dark-haired man seemed to hear his call. He opened his eyes and turned his head towards the coming Grecian, a warm smile formed on his lips. "Heracles-san? Is that you?" He asked although the bigger man was already in front of him.

"Yes, it's me." Heracles softly nodded, taking the Japanese man's hand into his.

The pale hand reacted by giving the hand a light squeeze. "Yes, it is you." He then said, smiling. "I'm glad to meet you again."

Heracles immediately took a seat next to the Japanese, whose name was Honda Kiku. The Japanese man was staring into the space, his dull black eyes seemed unfocused. "The air is very good. But it's a bit chilly. Is it cloudy right now?" He asked in a gentle voice and mannerism.

"Yes, it's a bit cloudy, but I don't think it's going to rain anytime soon." The Grecian answered just as gently.

Kiku smiled. And when he did, Heracles felt a light squeeze within his chest.

"How is your siblings? I haven't seen any of them." Heracles noticed, looking back and forth.

"My older brother Yao nii-san is working at the store right now, while Viet-san and Thai-san are teaching. Yong Soo, Wan, and Hong-san are at school. They are all very healthy and cheerful." A happy smile rose on the dark-haired man's lips and his cheeks turned a light pink. He always seemed happy and bright when he was talking about his siblings, Heracles noted.

"Do you have siblings, Heracles-san?" Kiku suddenly asked, without looking at the Grecian. His eyes were still staring far away.

"Well…" Heracles pondered about it. He had many siblings, more than he could count, thanks to his free-love believer of a father. "I do have many siblings. But I'm not that close to them, only to Are--I mean, Arthur. I'm currently living with him and his… wife." He finished unsurely.

"Oh? What kind of person is he? I am curious." Kiku tilted his head.

Heracles felt a bit unsure how to describe his stubborn older brother. "I guess you can say he is… stubborn. He's always grouchy and short-tempered and impatient. When he was younger, he got into fights a lot and he was rebellious. He's childish. He thinks he can cook when in truth everything he cooks turns out murderous. He tends to get into troubles because of his potty mouth and he's self-righteous, sometimes it's hard for me to deal with him." He sighed, though somehow he felt better after saying it all.

"My, he seems to be a handful." Kiku chuckled softly.

"But sometimes he shows good sides too." Heracles added. "I got lost quite often and he always came to pick me up even though he complained along the way home. He doesn't like cats and he gets mad when I bring home the cats I found, but he never throws them out randomly and always manages to find someone who can provide them properly because I can't be at his place all the time. He knows I'm bad at remembering places, so he accompanies me around until I can go out by myself…"

Kiku smiled. "Doesn't he sound like a wonderful brother?"

Heracles went quiet, before he spoke again a few seconds later. "…I guess he is." He nodded.

Seeing Kiku's smile made the Grecian wonder. It felt so relaxing whenever he was with this Japanese man. His words and mannerism were gentle and kind and very understanding that Heracles always found him soothing and fun to be around. Kiku never said anything that made him felt bad and he never reminded him of bad things, with him, Heracles didn't need to put up his guard and he could just… relax. He felt a soothing fondness towards the quiet man, despite the man's health condition.

A mewl came from the box.

"Oh, what is that?" The Japanese said in light surprise. His unseeing eyes grew wide.

Heracles smiled as he realized the kittens were awake, now mewling energetically and trying to get our of the box that restrained their freedom. "It's the kittens we found yesterday. My brother finally agreed to keep them in the house." He said, placing the box onto the polite man's lap.

"Really? Thank goodness." Kiku smiled as his hands crawling up his thigh eventually into the box and then it found the soft furs of the kittens. He carefully took one of them and lifted him up high, it was Kuro that he chose. The kitten didn't struggle within his hold, but his tiny feet tried to climb up the fingers.

"You're holding him backwards." Heracles chuckled.

"Haha. Pardon me. What is his name?" Kiku asked as he turned the kitten around carefully and placed him close to his chest.

"He's Kuro, the black one."

"You really named him that?" The Japanese man seemed surprised.

"Yes, I named them by the names you've told me yesterday." Heracles nodded, taking Tora and Shiro into his lap. "They are wonderful names."

"I'm glad you liked it," Kiku said, blushing lightly. He smiled when Kuro purred under his touch, he mewled and a tiny tongue licked his finger. Kiku seemed touched by the gesture. "He is so adorable. I really wish I can see him myself. I would like to see Shiro and Tora as well."

Heracles suddenly went quiet, he couldn't find the right thing to say to respond to that.

Kiku seemed to notice it even though he couldn't see the look on Heracles's face. "Isn't it getting warmer?" He switched the topic. "Why don't we take them for a walk under the warm sun? It will be healthy for them and for both of us too." Then he got up, holding the box with a hand while the other was holding the black kitten.

"Oh, let me." Heracles immediately stood up as well, taking the box and Kuro then carefully putting the three kittens inside. Then he took an iron staff on the bench and then he grabbed Kiku's right hand and slipped the staff into his palm. Kiku immediately took a firm grip at it.

"Thank you." The Japanese man said, tapping the staff at the uneven ground.

Noticing this, Heracles gingerly took Kiku's left hand and put it on his right arm so it was easier for him to guide the Japanese man on the uneven topography of the hills. Kiku smiled at him, unaware of the Grecian's flushing face. "You're very nice to me, Heracles-san. I'm really happy." He uttered earnestly.

"I-it's nothing. I really enjoy talking with you Honda-san, so…" The Grecian stammered, feeling his face grew hotter. He was glad Kiku couldn't see his face right now.

"Oh please, just call me Kiku." The Japanese smiled. "You know, Heracles-san. I can tell that you're nervous from your voice even when I can't see your face."

Heracles blushed further.

* * *

"You know, I really thought you put poison in that pancake."

Alfred's blunt comment immediately earned him a deadly glare from the already sensitive God, who was presently cleaning the dining table on the other side of the room. The American was lying on the sofa, a hand held an ice pack at the top of his head. About fifteen minutes earlier, he had been in the dining table when Arthur brought a plate of pancakes from the kitchen and put the said food in front of him. Alfred had been thrilled, of course, and he was hungry as well. Until he put that abominable thing disguised in a suit of common pancake into his mouth, he only remembered the painful sensation that stung his tongue and whole oral crevice, then the next thing he knew, was darkness cloaking his vision.

Yes, he blacked out for a total of fifteen minutes.

"It's not the pancake, you tasteless git. It's your sense of taste that's broken." Arthur had been denying his criticism towards his terrible cooking skill. And even though he had seen with his own eyes, how awful Alfred's condition was, even as he watched Alfred fainted with his mouth foaming from the poisonous food, still Arthur completely rejected the idea that his cooking had caused such symptoms.

Alfred could still taste the repulsive bitterness lingered in his numb mouth. He was sure that pancake was a biological weapon. No wonder Heracles, the brother in law and Arthur's stepbrother, who knew full well of the destruction it was capable of, had vanished somewhere without any of them noticing. The damned Grecian ran way by himself! The traitor! And Alfred thought that kid was on his side! Yet he didn't tell him anything about Arthur's horrible cooking, that he had to experience and regret it by himself.

"Well, since you were so mad at me and you tried to kill me last night, I thought you were trying to poison me to death." The American stated matter-of-factly.

"As much as I would love to cut you up and feed your remaining to stray rabies dogs, darling, I can't. And don't mock my cooking you insufferable git!" Arthur shouted in high-pitched tone, while still wiping the table spotless.

Alfred pouted. "You know, you're mean."

"I take that as a compliment, thank you." The God noncommittally said.

"And after you show how much you _love_ me last night." Alfred said.

" Whatever." He commented bluntly, sighing deeply.

And then suddenly, the sounds of bell rang throughout the house, causing both of the blondes to look up.

"Someone's at the door. Go get it, Alfred." The blonde said without looking at him.

"Noooo. Can't you see I'm sick? I dun' wanna." Alfred whined like a kid. "Besides, it's your fault I blacked out earlier. I can't even feel my feet!" He was telling the truth though, that murderous pancake had rendered his body weak and temporarily numb. And he only took a bite of it, who knew what would happen if he had gulped down a whole plate?

Arthur sighed deeply. He left the cloth he used to wipe on the table, then washed his hand at the nearby sink. The bell kept ringing as he wiped his hands with a towel, shouting out, "Coming!" He tugged at the knot of his apron. He let it hung by a pan hanger on the ceramic wall, immediately walking across the rooms and corridors towards the front door in a quick pace. Without bothering to check the visitor's identity, Ares slid out the door chain and unlocked the door and as he swung open the door, he said, "Yes, who is it?"

And when he took a look of his visitor, he instantaneously froze.

There was a man a tad bit older than him by the door, his hair was a shining bright golden like Arthur's hair, only it was curly and longer and was tied in the nape of his neck. He wore a very stylish and gaudy velvet semi-formal suit with light purplish white dress shirt that was purposely opened to show his chest beneath the coat, and a matching scarf wrapped around his neck. Half of the man's face was hidden beneath black sunglasses, only his lower face and the stubble on his chin was clearly visible. When Arthur opened the door, a hand graced in rings slid his sunglasses up his face to his head like a bandanna, and a pair of watery bluish green eyes met with bright and shocked emerald eyes.

"Mon cher Ares!" He exclaimed in joy as he lunged towards the frozen blonde, wrapping his arms around the other's smaller frame. "Oh, my beloved son! I missed you so!"

And a second later Arthur snapped back to reality, finally aware.

_Why is _**he**_ here!?_

"W-w-w-w-w-why are you here?" He almost choked on the question.

The strange man pulled away, Arthur found himself sick at the sight of the man pouting at him. "What are you saying, son? Can't a father visit his son after a long time he hasn't seen him?"

The sick feeling quickly changed to panic when he remembered a certain American man was still inside the house. He felt as if his heart jumped out of its socket. "B-b-but, I-I-I-I haven't clean up yet! T-the house is very dirty! Y-y-yes, that's it!! Y-you can't go in yet. I-I have to clean it up first!" He uttered the first thing crossed his mind, desperately trying to convince the older God.

"Oh, don't worry about it. I don't mind a bit dirt in the house. After all, I'm used to all the mess in your room back home." Zeus gave a hearty laugh, shaking his son's shoulders softly. "And besides…" His face went closer to whisper in Ares's ear. Dropping all the pretension, he whispered in his ear, in a low tone filled with hidden intention and venomous manipulation befitting of a great God he was. A chill ran up Ares's spines. His face blanched.

"I want to meet your new bride."

Arthur gulped.

* * *

TBC


	6. Father

A/N: XD Oh my God! I'm so very happy that this story is well-liked! XD So happy that I decided to turn **American Wife** into a doujinshi! I decided to do some fanarts to practice as well as to spread more and more love for USxUK and Hetalia. And you can find them on my LJ, I posted the link in my profile :D In fact, I have drawn the casts' profiles for my fanfiction-doujin project! It might not be a full doujinshi yet, but it contains the characters' more detailed profiles in it along with their pictures. I'll be happy if you see it :3 warning: Shocking revelation of Alfred's real age and a touch of drama

**Rating**: M for language and suggestive themes.

**Main Pairing: **USxUK

**Side pairings:** GiriPan, RoChu, FraNada, GerIta, SpaiRoma, DenNor, SweFin, and others.

**Ares**--Arthur/England

**Heracles**/Hercules--Heracles/Greece

**Zeus**--Francis/France

**Apollo**--Vash/Switzerland

**Artemis**--Lili/Liechtenstein

**Athena**--Elizaveta/Hungary

**Dionysus**--Feliciano/N. Italy

**Demeter**--Katja/Ukraine

**Poseidon**--Ivan/Russia

**Hermes**--Lovino/S. Italy

**Hephaestus**--Berwald/Sweden

**Hestia**--Natalia/Belarus

**Hades**--Lukas/Norway

Warnings: M-rated contents, and language. Some stuff are made-up, plots based on Grecian myths. This story is purely fiction.

**Chapter Six: Father**

"This is my father. The King of Olympian Gods… Zeus."

The moment Arthur finished his introduction, Alfred instantaneously went silent, face blanched. His expression suddenly blanked, while his body stiffened to stone. Ares nervously glanced at his spouse next to him, it was as expected, he thought. The American completely went motionless before the invincible, yet frighteningly obvious pressure and unpleasant aura the oldest man emitted. Arthur wasn't even sure if Alfred had stopped breathing as well. Normally, mortals would perish the moment they saw the real form of a God. But Zeus was in his disguise, so Alfred would, at least, not die.

In the other hand, the said King of Gods was leaning his back against the sofa in a very comfortable yet elegant manner. He had put his knee on top of the other, and twining fingers was placed lightly on the crossed knee. He was smiling sweetly at the stoned blonde, but his eyes strangely glinted of malice. Arthur flinched at it, staring at his own feet not daring to look at his father in the eyes.

"I've heard about you." Zeus started, and Alfred flinched, finally recovering from his shock.

"R-Really?" The American nervously said, fidgeting on his seat.

"But, of course. I know everything that happened in the world, I am my darling Ares's father after all." The oldest blonde smiled, his smile was an honest friendly one that it made Alfred feel relaxed. "You're Alfred, I assume?" He asked in a gentlemanly voice.

"Y-Yes, sir. I am. My name is Alfred F. Jones." The American nodded.

"Ah yes. I've researched about you too." Zeus calmly said, leaning forward to take the cup of tea into his hand, sipping it a bit before placing it gently onto its plate. "Alfred F. Jones, eighteen years old." He suddenly said, eyes fixating at the baffled blonde. The oldest blonde smiled teasingly.

"You were born in Connecticut, both parents are American. Father died at the age of fourteen. Mother have remarried. Hobbies include American football, basket ball, swimming, and street racing. Favorite foods are McDonald and pizza. You're currently studying at a quite well-known high school. You live in the dormitory. You have bright personality and are popular among your peers. You're always considered as one of the 'cool kids' since middle school, you're the star of the basketball team and even dated the Prom queen in your first year. Am I wrong?" Zeus finished it with a smirk, eyes glinting strangely.

Wide emerald eyes turned to Alfred, whose face was once again paling. Arthur gave him a look of disbelief. "Y-you are still _eighteen_? How--how did you even got into that bar?" He questioned demandingly.

"Uuh…" Alfred scratched his cheek with a finger, purposely averting his eyes. "Fake… id?" He uttered as he laughed sheepishly.

Arthur felt anger surging up into his head. "What the hell are you thinking?" He said, almost screamed. "So… I'm… I'm married to a b-brat? Oh my--Fuck! You should've told me earlier!" He spat out, clutching at the front of Alfred's shirt.

"I was going to tell you later!" Alfred defended, squirming in his seat. "B-besides, you didn't ask anything about my age!"

"Who in the world would ask people in a bar what their real ages are, because they're all supposed to be above twenty! N-not eighteen!"

"What's the big deal? I'm just two years away anyhow!"

"That's not the problem, you ignorant prat! Oh fuck… I'm… I did that with a kid… _oh fuck_!" Ares loosened his clutch and slumped his shoulders. He felt helpless and confused, really, first he was accidentally married to a mortal, now the mortal was a… a child who hadn't been mature enough to be called a responsible, full-fledged adult. He had done it with a child! He felt like he was a pedophile! And when he was supposed to be a mature and responsible adult… Heracles was right, he was too rash, he was supposed to be more careful.. and because he wasn't, this happened.

"Arthur?" Alfred called him, worried when he saw the gloomy look on Ares's face. The American went quiet for a few seconds, before suddenly grasping at Ares's shoulders, causing him to look at him. "A-Arthur! Even if I'm still a kid now, I'm sure someday I can provide for you! You don't have to worry about anything!" He said with a determined look on his face.

Arthur's eyes widened, raising both of his blond brows. "What are you saying…? I-I'm not worried about that…"

"But it's not only your fault! I'm to blame for this mess too." Alfred added. "I swear I'm gonna take responsibility for this. I'm going to spend the rest of my life compensating it. I don't regret a thing about our marriage. I love you, Arty, and I'm gonna love you 'till the day I die." He solemnly said, earnest blue eyes staring intently at surprised emerald green.

Ares suddenly felt his face grown searing hot and he flushed heavily, heart started thumping loudly within its ribcage. He suddenly found it hard to even utter a sentence properly. "Wh--I-- you… I-I don't… understand…" he stuttered, face reddened all the way to his ears.

"I know you haven't come to feel the way I do to you… but I'm not going to give up. I'm going to make you fall in love with me, too." He pulled the older man and pecked him on the lips, then he gently kissed his forehead too, and then his cheeks and Arthur's eyelids. Then he pulled away, staring at the older blonde with lovingly, a thumb brushing against his lips.

And Arthur suddenly found he was unable to breathe.

_Clap. Clap. Clap._

The couple turned their heads to see the father was clapping his hands merrily, a pleased look on his face. "Marvelous! Tres bien!" He exclaimed as he clapped his hands. And… was that tears on the corner of his eyes?

"I am touched by your words, dear Alfred! It looks like my worry has become unreasonable. Now I am sure you will make my beloved son happy, my dear son-in-law." He said, wiping the tears away.

"F-Father!" Ares exclaimed. He wriggled his body off of Alfred's grip, still blushing deeply from ear to ear. Why did he feel so… embarrassed? It wasn't like no one had never told him they loved him, his past lovers even went as far as to build grand temples made of gold and diamonds dedicated only to him. They had showered him with sweet words and glamorous presents and yet no one had made him felt so… so…

_I'm not thinking right! _Arthur convinced himself, shaking his head. _I need to cool down quickly._

"The teapot is empty, I'm going to refill it." Arthur quickly stood, gathering the teacups and the pot onto the tray all the while avoiding Alfred's stare. Then he excused himself--cursing under his breath when he blushed again after unintentionally caught Alfred looking at him--and with hurried steps he vanished into the dining room. The oldest blonde chuckled lightly at his son's behavior, then he turned his attention towards the blonde in front of him again.

"It's so rare to see him so excited like that these days," Zeus told him, a kind smile was chiseled in the corners of his lips.

"Oh yeah?" Alfred tilted his head curiously. "But I thought he's always like that. I mean, he's grouchy and complains a lot and he gets angry really easy."

"Well, he used to be like that, but that was centuries ago when he was younger and energetic. He used to come to me and talk. He was quite the spoiled child, and stubborn too, he got that from his mother. But as all children do, they grew up and stopped coming to see me. Apparently, they preferred their friends' company to an old man's like me." Zeus's eyes dimmed slightly, his smile degraded that to a lonely smile. "I really love my children, but it does get lonely being by myself back at home."

Alfred didn't know what to say. "Mr. Zeus…"

"Ah. Please call me Francis. Francis Bonnefoy. It is the name I use in the human world." The older blonde told him, Alfred replied with a nod.

"Okay, Francis." Alfred glanced reluctantly at him. "But by your words… it sound like you came here to visit Arthur, not to see me." He stated bluntly.

For a moment, Francis's turquoise eyes widened slightly, before they shrunk back.

"Yes, I do." He admitted, laughing softly. "It is just an excuse so I can see my sons. It's a shame I missed Heracles, I have missed that child a lot but he seems to like the human world better, well it is because of his upbringing, I suppose."

"I see that." Alfred nodded again.

"Well, that and I was curious about you too. Ares had always rejected the idea of being tied down to marriage, and he had never have interests in same-sex relationship either. So I wanted to know who had been the one to drive him into marrying. But I must say I am very surprised to see my daughter-in-law is actually a son-in-law." He laughed merrily.

"Hahaha! That's sure messed up alright!" Alfred laughed along, feeling the tension had been reduce significantly.

The laughter died down soon after that. Francis was smiling thinly as he looked at the human boy.

"… that child, he left Olympus about fifty years ago." He began telling Alfred. "He said he couldn't stand being at home and wanted to venture out and look for things that could at least make him feel alive. He was bored as we Gods always were. But that time was different. He asked for my permission to live in the human world and I knew from his eyes he would never return home again if I let him. But what can a parent do? I have been nothing but a failure of a father. I could do nothing but allow him to go before he come to hate me." His eyes downcast as his gaze fell to his own feet.

"…why would Arthur want to do that?" Alfred curiously asked.

He caught a glimpse of a sad smile the God wore. "Let's just say… we have problems in our family. Hera--His mother won't even talk to me anymore. Well, I guess that's what I deserved. I haven't been very faithful, I believe you've heard stories of me?" He lifted up his face.

"Well… kinda. They mentioned it at school in history subject. But I wasn't really paying attention…" Alfred half-lied, averting his eyes from the older man's gaze.

Zeus seemed to realize it. He chuckled. "That's alright. It wasn't a secret that I was a passionate romance seeker. Humans perceptions of me are not completely false. I am actually quite proud of it."

"What! Actually, some of my friends are into that too. Dating chicks and fucking them then putting their names on a black note called 'The Little Black Book', it's seriously weird." Alfred said, but then he lowered his chin, guilt spread on his face.

"Nah… I'm not one to talk 'bout it, I used to do that too. I thought sleeping with different chicks will make me cool, but I realized I was just being a jerk, especially because I called them whores while chatting with my friends after I slept with them. But then I met Arthur… and when he rejected me yesterday, it actually felt really hurt." His voice was soft, dimmed blue eyes stared at his own feet.

"Then I realized what a jerk I was, trampling on the feelings of those girls who said they loved me. Because of Arthur, I realize being rejected by someone you love… hurts so much you want to die." He paused for a moment, before continuing. "But I don't want to give up. I feel Arthur is the one for me, I _know_ he is! I'm really happy that I'm connected to him through this weird marriage--although it's purely accident. I want him to love me. No. I will make him love me. I'm sure I can." His voice was filled with determination. He clenched his fists tightly, wearing a solemn expression.

Francis saw the expression on his face, he wore a sad smile. "…I'm sure you can. You're still young. And Ares… that child really changes after he met you."

"R-Really? You think so?" Alfred's eyes suddenly brightened.

"Oui." Francis told him. "Since the new era arrived… he became really quiet, he was lacking of the only excitement he had, as the God of War. He no longer had interest in wars since the mortals invented machines and electronic weapons, he found no pleasure in whatever he did. Even if he found something interesting in the human world, he would quickly get bored of it. It looked like he didn't have the will to live anymore. But after he met you, I can see his eyes filled with life again. It was as if he was rejuvenated to his old self--well, without being blood-thirsty, of course." He chuckled when Alfred's blue eyes glistened in joyful revelation.

"So… you think I have a chance?"

"Of course."

Alfred swung a fist up the air and pulled it back to his side, repeating it over and over again. Excitement and happiness were written on his face.

"Young love… how nice." Zeus murmured softly. Alfred was too excited to hear him talking. Francis smiled a sad smile, his eyes furrowed slightly. "I used to think like that too. I was _so_ sure I could make her fall for me… but it turns out all the time in the world was not enough, she hates me even more instead. I hope… he won't be like me." He stared at the happy blonde, feeling a tinge of jealously surfaced in his chest.

An image of a beautiful woman with unbelievably mesmerizing curly golden hair and big majestic eyes that showed wisdom and sadness flashed before his eyes. And he suddenly felt a strong longing feeling to see her. He sighed, then stood up.

"I should be going now."

"Father? Are you leaving? Already?" Arthur came with a tray and a pot full of tea on that exact time.

Zeus, who had put on his suit, smiled and patted his head. "I've works to do. I can't be the King of Gods if all I do is playing around in the human world." He told him, glancing at Alfred. "Take care of my son, Alfred. I'm counting on you."

Alfred nodded vigorously, flashing a thumbs up at him.

Francis raised his thumb and grinned too.

"Oh, I'll go through the backdoor if you don't mind." Francis said to his son, who was strangely fidgeting, he kept stealing glances at his father. Francis raised an eyebrow at the strange behavior.

But Ares didn't say anything.

Zeus smiled, patting Ares's shoulder. "Well, I've to go now. I will see you later, my beloved son." He leaned in to kiss Ares's cheeks, pulling away to approach Alfred and kiss his too. "And you too, son-in-law."

Alfred grinned and hugged the older man.

Zeus walked over to the kitchen, towards the backdoor. Arthur and Alfred tailed behind him. He turned the door knob and the door swung open. But before he could step outside, Arthur suddenly clutched at the back of his suit. "Father, wait!" He shouted, halting the man's steps. Francis glanced over his shoulder, completely taken aback.

"I--well…" Ares stuttered, his face flushed pink and he was staring at the floor instead of his father's face. "You--you can visit anytime you want. I'll tell Heracles too."

Francis was surprised. Then he smiled. A small but happy smile. "Thank you, son."

A moment later, the God had left with a sudden noise of striking thunder.

Alfred and Arthur went back to the living room, finishing the rest of the tea that Arthur had made. As he was sipping the tea--though it tasted disgusting the first time, Alfred gradually got used to it--he glanced at the silent blonde next to him, who was sipping his tea with a blank look on his face. Alfred curiously stared at him, putting down the porcelain teacup onto the small plate on the table. Arthur was munching on that disgusted scones--Alfred didn't dare to try it, given his latest experience with the pancake--still in a daze. Alfred decided to end that awkward silence.

"You heard us talking didn't ya?"

Arthur flinched, finally glancing up at the blonde. Alfred knew he was going to deny again as always, but his wet emerald eyes gave it all away. "You did, didn't you." Alfred said, moving closer to the older blonde, who kept his silence. Alfred slowly sneaked a hand to his waist, and pulled the older man close to him. Arthur didn't struggle and laid his head on Alfred's shoulder lazily, much to the younger man's delight. Taking advantage of this, he hugged him closer.

"…it's not like I hate father." Arthur murmured softly, but loud enough for Alfred to hear. "I don't hate him, but…"

"But what?" Alfred kissed his hair soothingly.

"It's hard… growing up with parents who constantly fight." He said, closing his eyes. "Father was never home, he was always with his mistresses. I'm his child, but I rarely saw him. While my mother… my mother closed her heart and never once cried for what father did. She was a strong woman, but too prideful. She never showed her feelings, no matter what. That was why father got angry and lonely and he ended up seeking the companies of others." He sighed.

"Although they're supposed to love each other. That was why they're married, right?" He lifted his chin, gazing at the blonde. "Why is it so complicated? Just because of that a lot of people suffered… Heracles, his mother too… it didn't matter who, their children, father's mistresses, uninvolved people… all of them got dragged within our fucked-up family. No wonder I turned out a fuckup too."

Alfred furrowed his eyebrows. "That's not true." He said.

"But I am." Arthur shook his head, glancing down at his hands on his lap. "After Heracles talked things to me… I realized that. I'm childish, rash, and violent. I'm arrogant and selfish. I've always thought I'm right and others don't. I thought by killing you right there and then in front of the hotel, in front of so many, it would end there and I could get away with it. But I was wrong. I know Heracles was right, after all he had been through, I've no right to say I'm righteous. No one would like a guy like me." He chuckled sarcastically.

"That's not true! _I_ like you. I love you." Alfred suddenly grabbed onto his shoulders and forced him to look at him.

"Liar." Arthur blankly said, furrowing his eyebrows. "We hardly know each other, how can you say you love me?"

"I just do. I love you." Alfred fought, shaking the smaller shoulders. "I don't know why, but I do. I just feel that way."

"I don't believe it. Love… it's just physical pleasure. Something Aphrodite and her children made up and shot through humans' chest." Arthur looked away, hurt spread on his face. "She told me she loved me. But all she wanted was an escape from her ugly husband. A temporary substitute for excitement. She'd have affairs with other men beside me, I'm not the only one. Isn't that why father and mother got married? Only to produce pure-blooded Gods despite not loving each other." He bitterly said.

"Arthur!" Alfred exclaimed, feeling anger swelling up inside him. "Stop saying that, I love you. How can I make you believe me?"

Arthur stared at him. "I don't know… I don't believe in love… I don't believe in marriage." He murmured softly. "What if… what if I came to '_love_' that person, but that person won't love me back and leave me in the end? I--" He stopped talking, blushing slightly and averting his eyes.

Alfred didn't know whether he should be worried or be happy by this reaction. "I won't leave you! I'll love you till I die, I swear it." Alfred said in gentle voice, wrapping his arms around the smaller frame and holding him close to his chest.

"…I don't believe you." Ares whispered against the broad chest, his hands tugged at Alfred's sleeves.

"Then I'll just have to show you, even if it took me a whole life time. Even if I become a wrinkly old guy, I'd still love you." Alfred said, kissing his temples.

"…mortal fool…"

Both of them pulled away slightly, only to stare at each other's eyes. Alfred was the first to make a move, leaning in to kiss Arthur's cheek. Ares closed his eyes ad the younger blonde showered his face with sweet kisses. And with each kiss, Alfred uttered "I love you", and Arthur's face grew hotter by each of the kiss. Alfred smiled as he pecked at the adorable blush on his cheeks. And then he pecked at his lips. The older blonde opened his eyes, his eyes glistened as he stared at Alfred shyly, and Alfred leaned in and kissed him on the lips again.

"Believe me now?" He grinned.

"Hardly." Arthur frowned, but the blush was still covering his cheeks.

"Then, perhaps more than innocent little kisses will suffice?" Alfred chuckled, placing his lips on Arthur's neck. He started kissing and licking the tender flesh.

"Stupid. Stop it." Arthur tugged at the back of his clothes, preventing the blonde from going further.

"Aww, why?" Alfred pouted.

"Because I can't have sex with a minor, you brat. I'll get sued for sexual harassment!"

Alfred let out a disappointed sigh. "But we're married! You can't deprive me from sex! And you're a _God_, for pete's sake, you don't get sued. Use your authority to get rid of the laws!" He whined.

"I can't do that! Even Gods have rules and that includes us obeying the humans' laws while we're in their world, living in their country." Arthur's hand went to push Alfred's bigger body, trying to wriggle his way out.

"But!"

"No buts!" Arthur retorted.

Alfred went quiet, obvious disappointed look overcame his face and slumped shoulders. He looked just like an abandoned puppy. And the sight somehow bothered Arthur.

"Well… I suppose… we can just kiss… or something other than direct sex…" Arthur's voice became softer and softer by words. But Alfred's ears perfectly caught them.

"Arthur!" Alfred joyfully leaned close to Arthur's face, blue eyes glistening brightly.

"H-hey… you're too close…" Arthur gasped when Alfred suddenly took his hand and put his index finger in his mouth, sucking and licking the digit. He was suddenly reminded of what Alfred did the night before and he quickly turned red.

Alfred smirked and pulled the finger out, tentatively licking it. "Anything but direct sex, right? It's alright. I do plan on learning… creative things." He eyes gleamed mischievously.

Arthur suddenly felt that odd sensation again, feeling a wave of intense heat sweeping all over his body. A sensation that rendered his knees weak.

Alfred grinned. "I'll show you how much I love you, _darling_."

* * *

Francis was walking down the crowded streets when ringing noise came from his pocket. He stopped on his track, a hand pulling out a blue cellphone from his trousers pocket. He pushed the button and brought it near his right ear, and said, "Hello? Francis Bonnefoy here." He spoke in a gentlemanly voice.

_"Stop playing around, old man."_ The voice across the line said.

"Ah, Hermes. Is it you, son?" Francis laughed.

_"Who else? Anyway, that stupid bastard little brother of mine's forgot his task. He said, he's going out with a German fucker. Dammit, I gotta fetch him myself, aren't I?" _

"You complained, but you'll definitely go to your brother without me having to order you." Francis smiled, resuming walking along the road. "The two of you are my youngest children, and you get along so well, daddy is really happy."

_"…whatever, I'm holding up, old man."_

"Wait." Zeus said.

_"What?"_

"I just visited Ares and his new spouse. I like the man, he's a good kid." Francis said, sounding pleased.

_"So it's a guy? The bastard's changed his taste, I see."_ Hermes snorted across the line.

"I want them to be happy. And Heracles and Dionysus too. I want my children to be happy. I want them to get the happiness they never got back in Olympus." Zeus's voice turned serious.

_"…what do you want, old man? Speak up."_

"I only want one thing, Hermes." Francis stopped on his track, staring up at the cloudy sky that looked like it was going to rain at any time.

"And that is for you to make sure Hera knows absolutely nothing about this."

* * *

TBC


	7. Mesmerized

A/N: Hmm. I'm sad. :( I don't know why, but I just feel so sad. These past couple of days have been both good and bad, I'm not feeling well with the headache and stuff. :( I hope writing this chapter will cheer me up. Spain and Romano made their debut! This chapter is dedicated to the Italy brothers :D

**Rating**: M for language and suggestive themes.

**Main Pairing: **USxUK

**Side pairings:** GiriPan, RoChu, FraNada, GerIta, SpaiRoma, DenNor, SweFin, and others.

**Ares**--Arthur/England

**Heracles**/Hercules--Heracles/Greece

**Zeus**--Francis/France

**Apollo**--Vash/Switzerland

**Artemis**--Lili/Liechtenstein

**Athena**--Elizaveta/Hungary

**Dionysus**--Feliciano/N. Italy

**Demeter**--Katja/Ukraine

**Poseidon**--Ivan/Russia

**Hermes**--Lovino/S. Italy

**Hephaestus**--Berwald/Sweden

**Hestia**--Natalia/Belarus

**Hades**--Lukas/Norway

Warnings: M-rated contents, and language. Some stuff are made-up, plots based on Grecian myths. This story is purely fiction.

**Chapter Seven: Mesmerized**

Hermes swore he would kill his bastard of a little brother for getting him into this mess.

He was on a duty, for Zeus's sake, in fact he was supposed to have arrived in Hades's palace by now, but the news about his retarded little brother went missing without a trace had reached his ears earlier on his way to the Underworld. He had always known Dionysus was slow in the head, he had a short attention span and often wandered on his own, getting lost in his way or forgetting his works altogether when seeing festivals or lively events and the like nearby. He wouldn't miss it for the world and would go straight there without a second thought. But to go completely missing on a duty without even calling him first? That wasn't normal. Hermes had to return to Olympus as soon as he heard the news. He had abandoned his duty as a messenger just to check if the news had been correct.

And after he had gotten home, his cell rang and Dionysus had been as cheerful as ever as he greeted his older brother across the line, "Hermes! I have found a new love!" and Hermes had replied with a tone more annoyed than he had ever been towards his silly younger brother. "What the fuck did you mean by love, you little wine bastard! You're supposed to go on duty not date! Where the hell are you? What are you doing?" And when the cheerful God of Wine tried to explain to him shakily, in a careful tone as not to make the older more angry, but after he did, the Great Messenger of the Gods snapped.

"_Sweet fucking motherfucker Zeus! _What the fuck are you doing!**"** He had exclaimed in great rage, berating and scolding at the poor younger God until he was out of breath, then ten minutes later he had flown out of the Olympus in his winged sandals, and declaring. "I'll bring home your sorry ass, Dionysus!" And then he flew towards the human world in the speed of a lightning. On his way, he called on his father to tell him he wouldn't be able to finish his job on tim, but the damned old man just gave him another headache-inducing task.

He threw on the most uncomfortable clothes he had ever worn. The suit was too tight, it bit into his skin the moment he wore it. It was leather, a goddamn leather. Why in the hell of all suits, Hermes just had to wear a one piece _leather suit_. He looked like a fucking motor-GP racer he watched last week! Goddammit. He didn't have the time to pick his disguise and he pick it out randomly, before flying off to the human world. Why the hell that suit got into Athena's disguising clothes closet was beyond him. He had a suspicion it actually belonged to the Goddess, by how tight it was around his rather slim figure. He thanked that his size was almost the same as Athena's, else he would have to go buy another one in the mall, and while wearing his traditional Grecian garment like a loony. Just great.

And he wondered just how on earth a clever God like him could be twisted on the palm of an idiot like Dionysus so easily, when he had been the one who tricked Apollo centuries ago.

With irritated sigh, Hermes slammed the public restroom door open without bothering the looks on other people's face as they stared at him. He went to the parking lot, where he had parked his tortoise shield that was transformed into a big red bike. If he was going to look like a racer, might as well going all out. Clicking his tongue, he hopped on the bike and started the engine. Then he rode off to the streets with a speed that should've been fined, if only the cop could catch up with him. He skillfully and shamelessly avoided other cars and things on the road, uncaring of the siren and call the patrol shouted at him. Hermes was the Messenger of Gods, for heaven's sake, _speed_ was his job.

He twisted and turned, avoided _obstacles_ and entered the wrong roads, ignored the traffic light and caused traffic jams and a few minor accidents, he even went as far as riding on the pedestrian's walk. Thankfully, no one was injured, because the bike was supposed to be a shield. Hermes had made sure his bike was incapable of hurting humans, though he didn't know about the traffic. The plaza his brother was talking about was just around the corner. Speeding up, Hermes sharply turned on a corner. He took sight of a small parking area just in front of the plaza and the restaurant rows, he parked his bike and glanced up at the many billboards of the restaurants.

Now what was the name of the cafe that stupid Dionysus told him?

Hermes was reluctant, but decided to just screw it up and check every nook and cranny to seek out his idiot little brother. He got off of his bike, randomly slammed open the door of a random cafe despite the 'closed' sign hung right in front of the door, while shouting out in an earsplitting voice. "Is my stupid little brother here?"

He looked around and found a very confused brunette wearing a white apron who halted the rag he was holding to wipe a wooden table in the middle of the room. Hermes glared at him, and the brunette stared confusedly at him. There was exactly ten seconds of awkward silence between the two, before the brunette raised his voice to break it. "Ummm… we're not open yet." He said in low, hesitant voice.

"Are you that German fucker!" Hermes spat out demandingly as he strode towards the brunette, taking a tight grip at the front of his white apron and shirt. "Where the fuck do you hide my brother? What the hell have you done to him!"

"I have absolutely no idea of what you are saying! I don't know your brother!" The brunette responded, the rag fell to his feet as he lost his grip on it in confusion. Then he quickly added. "And besides… I am Spanish!"

Hermes raised a disbelieving eyebrow. He glared straight at dark brown eyes, slowly trailing his gaze down to his neck and chest and arms. He looked rather skinny and short, though just about the same height as him. Then he suddenly recalled Dionysus told him that his new, so-called 'love' was very tall and muscular, had blue eyes and short, but tidy blond hair, and a scary face. He remembered it because the younger God went on and on about him for a full ten minutes and just wouldn't shut up. But the mortal in front of him was nothing like he described.

"Fuck, you're not him." Hermes released his grip roughly. Damn that Dionysus, he made him get onto the wrong guy! It was all his fault! A hand went through chestnut colored hair in frustration.

The Spaniard coughed lightly, caressing his neck. He glanced at the frustrated God, tilting his neck in curiosity. "Hey… by German, do you mean the German brothers who owned the Italian restaurant next door?" He hesitantly asked.

Hermes snapped his head at him. "It's gotta be him. Where's he?" He asked menacingly.

"I don't know. They usually take a day off on Mondays. Both of them live a bit far away from here, but I don't know where exactly." He shook his head.

"Damnit. Dionysus lied to me. He's trying to protect that bastard." Hermes grumbled, furrowing his eyebrows. The he turned to the Spaniard. "When are they going to be here again?" He asked.

"Umm, I think they'll open the restaurant tomorrow morning. The younger brother's diligent, so he'll be there early, around seven I think." The Spaniard said, bending his back to pick up the fallen rag.

Hermes rubbed his chin, deep in thoughts. "…I got only less than two days to slack off. I've to go back and deliver the dead spirits to the Underworld quickly before they escape the cage… dammit, that bastard just makes things harder for me! What should I do?" He pulled a chair and flopped down onto it, resting his elbow on the wooden surface as he pondered with a hand supporting his chin.

The human Brunette only stood and watched silently at the pondering God, unsure what else to do.

Then Hermes suddenly lifted up his chin, a look of realization hit him as he turned to the Spaniard. "I'm gonna stay here until they get back." He declared.

The Spaniard seemed reluctant. "Uh, sure. go ahead. I'm just… going to open the place anyway…" He said, before quickly adding. "But _please_… stop threatening people at random. It's not good for the business, so…"

"I get it, I get it. I won't do it again. I'll be invisible until I get my hands on that fucker. Go and do your job or anything, I don't care." Hermes sighed, staring off into the empty space.

The Spaniard sighed in relief. "Okay then…"

Hermes waited without a sound. Only the ticking clock filled the silent space. He was bored, an he had been trying to call Dionysus many times, but the little fucker didn't answer his calls. He probably did it on purpose, Goddammit. What on earth was he thinking? Abandoning his duty for a human? Hermes knew Dionysus's main job was to spread merriment and joy and he didn't have to work all that hard, unlike Hermes who had to go back and forth between Olympus and the Underworld. Of course he had his fair shares of human lovers, but nowadays Hermes was too engrossed in his job to have one at the moment.

His job made it hard for him to spare some time for lovers. It was a job with no vacation whatsoever, else the world would be filled with roaming dead spirits who couldn't go to the Underworld because Hermes the Messenger didn't do his job. He was always busy and almost never at home. And Dionysus just had to screw it even further. He gritted his teeth as he looked up at a clock hanging on the cream-colored walls. Forty minutes had passed. He wondered if Hades had gotten tired of waiting him. The guy was cold and cruel, but he was actually quite patient. No wonder he could put up with the constant nagging of his two messed up brothers; Zeus and Poseidon.

But he was certain even Hades would snap if he took his sweet time too long.

Hermes's train of thoughts was disturbed when a bowl of red liquid, some dried bread, and a clear glass of water was placed before his eyes. He blinked.

"It's on the house, since you look so bored." Came the voice of the Spaniard who owned the place. He smiled at the God who only stared at him back with an eyebrow raised in question.

Then he lowered his gaze towards the red soup that emitted such an appetizing smell. "…what's this?" He asked, taking the spoon and stirring it a bit.

"Tomato soup. It's my specialty."

Hermes stared at it, swallowing hard. He remembered he hadn't eaten anything since he was too preoccupied in thinking of kicking a certain German's ass. Without even a word, his stomach gave away his hunger. And he blushed in embarrassment at the noise he made. The Spaniard only chuckled. "Try it, it's better when it's still warm." He persuaded.

Hermes hesitated. He stirred the spoon a bit before lifting it, thick reddish soup dripped from the spoon. He gulped again, then slowly leaned closer with his mouth puckered to blow on the still steaming soup. He shut his eyes and clamped down his lips as the head of the spoon entered his oral crevice, then the spoon slid out of his mouth. Tasting the soup, he swallowed it down his throat.

Hermes blinked.

"It's…" He gaped, staring at the soup with eyes filled with disbelief and amazement. "It's so… _good_!" He exclaimed, not believing of what he had said. Then he proceeded taking another spoonful of the soup and putting it in his mouth. He swallowed. And then did it over again, dipping the dried bread in and chomping on it vigorously. "What the hell is this? Why is it so good? Zeus! It's… it's heavenly!" He exclaimed as he sped up his eating pace.

"I'm glad you like it." The Spaniard laughed. A blush crept onto his shy, happy face. Hermes halted the spoon as soon as he took the sight of his smiling face, eyes fixating at him.

"Oh, do you want another?" The Spaniard offered, eying at the already empty bowl.

Hermes was suddenly pulled back to reality, "Huh? Oh yeah, I'll pay for it." He absently said, staring at the man's face as the Spaniard took the empty plates onto the tray.

"Thank you, it'll be ready in a few minutes." The brunette smiled politely, he turned on his back and was about to go to the back kitchen, when suddenly Hermes caught a hold on his arm. He turned at him with wide eyes, the God was staring at him with strange gleams in his eyes, he didn't seem to be aware of what he was doing. "Is there anything else?" The Spaniard asked.

Hermes finally realized what he had done, but strangely he didn't want to let go of the mortal man just yet. "…name." He murmured, still looking at the perplexed man.

"Yes?" The Spaniard didn't seem to heard it well.

"What is your name?" The God asked more clearly.

He looked taken, the Spanish man went quiet. His eyes shifted from the floor to the young God again. "It's… Antonio. Antonio Fernandez Carriedo." He told him without thinking.

"…Antonio…" Hermes released his grip. The Spaniard subconsciously caressed the spot it was grabbed at. "Antonio… your cooking is delicious. I'll remember you. I'm--" He hesitated. "I'm Lovino Vargas."

Antonio smiled. "Well, I'm very happy to hear that you like my cooking, Mr. Vargas."

"No. Not Mr. and not Vargas." Hermes quickly said.

"It's Lovino. Call me Lovino."

* * *

"Um… you don't have to do this for me."

The brunette glanced at the hesitant German, two big bags filled with groceries and cooking ingredients were stuffed into his slender arms. They were so big and fat, Ludwig doubted Feliciano could see what was in front of him. Though he didn't seem having much difficulty, the bags fitted perfectly in his arms without having to readjust it and he was carrying them while humming cheerfully. He wondered where the smaller man got that that strength, he didn't seem very strong and yet he was. Even Ludwig had difficulty in adjusting another two weighs in his arms, stopping occasionally to prevent the corn cans from falling from the top of the pile.

"It's alright. I can do it just fine." Feliciano had assured him again, and he wasn't lying. He was capable of handling them better than Ludwig do.

"But this is for the restaurant… you're a costumer. I can't let you do that." Ludwig tried to reason. But the Italian (Ludwig assumed he was from his accent and name) just shrugged.

"I want to do it, and besides, I want to spend more time with you." He flashed that ever-charming smile at the German again, rendering his will weak.

There his bluntness went again. Ludwig didn't know what to do or say when Feliciano said or did something so unexpected and bold. He had verbally and practically claimed he was interested in the German (in which Ludwig had absolutely no idea why he did), and had been following Ludwig on his own accord, whether the German liked it or not. Honestly, Ludwig felt very confused. It was the first time someone had acted and treated him this way. No one had ever openly told him they were interested in him, the scary tall guy who had been mistaken as a criminal countless of times, much less in _that_ way. He wasn't exactly opposing same-sex relationship, but he had never been into nor interested in that. But he strangely didn't mind Feliciano clinging onto him.

Why was that? He had yet to understand. It might had something to do the the man's personality and actions that were completely the opposite of his own. After all, opposite attracts. And Ludwig couldn't help but to feel attracted to the Italian, although not in that way. He was actually glad that there was actually someone who could look at him without being scared, his older brother aside. Feliciano was like an odd friend. And he actually enjoyed being with the guy. Ludwig secretly smiled.

"S-since we're nearby the area, why don't we go to the restaurant to drop these off so we won't have to carry it around all the way to my house?" Ludwig suggested, turning at the brunette.

Feliciano suddenly went pale. "N-No! I'm fine, I really do! I can carry these to your house just fine! I-I can make it!" He said in hurried tone, strangely glancing back and forth at their surroundings.

Ludwig rose a curious brow. Why was he suddenly panicking? "If you say so…" He said, deciding not to press the matter.

The God sighed in both relief and exasperation as the German walked ahead of him. He knew his older brother Hermes had begun searching for him at the plaza. His cell had been ringing since a little while ago, so his guess must be true. If Hermes met Ludwig now, Dionysus could just imagine what horrible things his brother would do to the mortal. And he would drag him back to Olympus and make sure he couldn't meet Ludwig again, if the man was still alive then. He had just realized it was a big mistake to tell him about what had happened. Dionysus shook his head.

No, he mustn't think of negative things. He knew Hermes loved him, he was sure he could make him understand! Juts not now. He had to wait until Hermes calmed down, and then he could start explaining things and maybe even introducing the German he was seeing. Yes, until then Feliciano had to make sure Ludwig and Hermes didn't meet. At all cost. Feliciano heard his name was being called by a stuttering voice, and lifted his gaze to see the German was waiting for him ahead of the road. It seemed like he had stopped on his track without realizing.

Feliciano wore a bright smile as he ran towards Ludwig.

"I'm coming!"

As long as he avoided meeting Hermes, everything would be fine, right?

* * *

TBC

* * *

Some notes:

**1**. Hermes once tricked Apollo in giving him his cattle willingly with a lyre. He is known as a deified trickster. There are lots of other stories about him tricking other Gods and Humans alike.

**2**. Hermes's job is to guide the dead to the afterlife/underworld. He also helps travelers and blesses them safe journeys. He can travel to the Underworld without difficulties.

**3**. Three Great Gods who are also blood siblings: Zeus the King of the Gods, Hades the God of the Underworld, and Poseidon the God of the Sea.

A/N: So… just to make sure, do you want it SpainxRomano or RomanoxSpain? I don't really care about positions and I can even make them _both_. . Just asking for your opinion.


	8. Curious

A/N: So… back to USUK :D Oh and SpaiRoma too. Let's see… a lot of people chose SpaiRoma the most, so SpainxRomano it is. Though, for those who want to see RomanoxSpain, I have the very intention to write a fic about them later, maybe a one-shot :D It's purely curiosity, really, I rarely see a RomaSpai fic out there ;9

To **Yumiko**-san: Yes, yes you definitely can and I am honored if you want to do it! Tell me when it's done, I'd love to see it! XD

To those whom I have their requested fic being delayed: I'm currently looking for the suitable story plot, sorry, but please wait a bit more I promise it'll be done soon D;

**Rating**: M for language and suggestive themes.

**Main Pairing: **USxUK

**Side pairings:** GiriPan, RoChu, FraNada, GerIta, SpaiRoma, DenNor, SweFin, and others.

**Ares**-Arthur/England

**Heracles**/Hercules-Heracles/Greece

**Zeus**-Francis/France

**Apollo**-Vash/Switzerland

**Artemis**-Lili/Liechtenstein

**Athena**-Elizaveta/Hungary

**Dionysus**-Feliciano/N. Italy

**Demeter**-Katja/Ukraine

**Poseidon**-Ivan/Russia

**Hermes**-Lovino/S. Italy

**Hephaestus**-Berwald/Sweden

**Hestia**-Natalia/Belarus

**Hades**-Lukas/Norway

Warnings: M-rated contents, and language. Some stuff are made-up, plots based on Grecian myths. This story is purely fiction.

**Chapter Eight: Curious**

"Are you sure you want to stay here alone?"

Hermes glanced at the Spaniard who had already done cleaning the entire cafe and was about to close the business for the day. The chairs had been hauled over the spotless tables, porcelain floor gave the reflection of a mirror. All that left was the young God, sitting on the couch nearby the windows, still waiting for his brother who never came. And still intended to wait until the deadline.

"Yeah." He promptly answered. "Is that a problem? Are you closing down?"

Antonio smiled, but it was a troubled one. "Yes. It's already eleven. I've to attend class tomorrow morning, so I don't usually open the cafe for long."

Hermes perked up his head in interest. "You're still studying?"

"Yes. I'm currently writing my thesis. But I'll open the store again, tomorrow at noon." Antonio nodded slightly. Then he fidgeted slightly in the counter, glancing between the door and Lovino. "Um, I'm very sorry, but…"

"You want me to leave." The God caught up rather quickly. He glanced at the sky beyond the window, despite it was still lively and bright under the dark night sky, he could tell it was getting late. He lowered his gaze, he only had another twelve hours to stay in the earth. More than that, he'd be punished for slacking off. He thought about it then finally turned to the waiting Spaniard.

"Fine. I'll wait outside." He said as he stood up, striding towards the door.

"W-wait!" Antonio suddenly shouted, causing the other to glance over his shoulder.

"What?"

"Do you really want to wait outside the _whole_ night?" He asked, voice laced in worry.

Hermes paused for a second before responding. "I guess I am."

"Don't you have another place to stay?" Antonio asked, getting out of the counter then walked towards the slightly shorter man. Hermes cocked an eyebrow, why was this man being so odd? It was not like something bad would happen to Hermes, the Royal Messenger of the Gods, in fact, anyone who wanted to do things to him was the one who should be worried, he could've struck the guy down, especially if it was male.

"My home's not around here, if that's what you asked." Hermes casually uttered. "Don't worry, it's nothing dangerous. I can take care of myself. No one will dare to mess with me in anyway, since I'm not all _that_ girly."

"That's not true." Antonio quickly said, earning a questioning glance from Lovino. "Because I think you're very cute, I'm worried if someone will try to hurt you when you're alone."

It took two seconds for Hermes to digest the man's statement. Then a furious blush crept over his cheeks. "Wh-what? Are you making fun of me?" He spat out in confusion and embarrassment. How could the Spaniard said something like that out of the blue, with a straight face to top? No one in the world dared to call Hermes the Great Messenger 'cute'.

The Spaniard tilted his head, slightly puzzled. "Why are you angry? I was just telling the truth. I'm worried someone will hit on you because you're very cute."

Hermes blushed even harder. Did he just call him cute _twice_? "Th-that's bullshit!"

"It is not. You're really cute." Antonio said blandly, in a casual voice as if he had just pointed out that a kitten was cute. "That's why I thought I'd let you stay inside for the night."

That one caused Hermes to look at him. "Huh? What? …but why?" He asked, thinking if he had heard wrong.

"I have a bed at the back room I use to study on exam weeks. You can use it if you want, I'll leave the door open." The Spaniard smiled sweetly. One that made Hermes's stomach began fluttering uncomfortably, like there were butterflies inside.

"You're not staying?" He asked, snapping back to reality when he realized what he had said. Nor did he realize his hand had reached and clutched at the Spaniard's sleeves.

Antonio looked surprised and taken as well. "Well… I have to go early tomorrow… I run out of change clothes here, so I have to get back home tonight."

"But this is your store. You should be here too." Lovino pointed it out.

"Yes. And I'll be back here tomorrow after the class ends." Antonio smiled assuringly.

Hermes glared at him in rage. How dare this mortal not understand that he did not want to be left alone! Was his head thick or something? "I am your guest. How can you not show hospitality towards me? I've been ordering your food since this morning and I have been a great patron for you, I think I deserve better treatment than this. I demand you to stay here tonight and accompany me!" Hermes subconsciously lapsed into his Godly commanding tone of voice, but he didn't care. He did not want to be left alone tonight for whatever reason that escaped him. And he was one who always got what he wanted.

The Spaniard froze and blinked. An odd silence emerged between the two as seconds went on. Neither Antonio nor Lovino said a word.

Until the Spaniard broke it. "Sure. I'll stay." He said, somewhat unsure.

"Good." Hermes spat out brusquely, but felt satisfied inside. He let go of his hold at his sleeves, deliberately yawning. Rubbing his eyes, he felt a bit sleepy. Now that he thought about it, he hadn't have any proper sleep since he was so busy with his job. And waiting for Dionysus to show up had been keeping him on his toes, forgetting his exhaustion.

"I'm tired." He uttered. "Show me the room."

"Okay, it's right this - _Whoaaaaaa_!"

Antonio suddenly yelped aloud, backing away with face reddened in embarrassment. The young God had unzipped the top half do his leather suit, immediately revealing silky, smooth pale skin and slightly slender but toned muscled of his chest, arms, and stomach. In his hurry, he hadn't have the time to fetch any other clothes last time, so he had only been wearing that tight, hot leather suit with nothing else under the stretchy garment. He was relieved to finally got out of this nasty suit, but the Spaniard didn't seem to share his feelings, as he was trying to failingly cover his eyes from Hermes's bare skin.

"What's with you?" Lovino asked with an eyebrow raised.

"Wh-why are you taking off your clothes?" Antonio asked in panic, flailing his arms over his face.

"I'm used to sleeping without clothes on. It's more comfortable that way." Hermes replied as if it was a normal thing to say.

The Spaniard tried - _oh God he tried _- not to peek from the tiny gaps of his fingers, as Lovino resumed stripping off of the rest of the suit, kicking them off of himself. Now the God-in all of his naked might, stood there in front of him and the Spaniard threw his gaze anywhere but at Lovino, red to his ears. But the said person didn't look the least uncomfortable, it was normal in Olympus to sleep clad only in sheets. He wondered why the Spaniard acted so odd, was it different in humans' culture? Not that he cared.

"Are you coming along or not?" He asked as he frowned, hands akimbo.

"Wh-what?" The very embarrassed Antonio glanced at him at the corner of his eye, but quickly lowered his gaze to the floor.

"It's cold tonight. It's better if we sleep together. It'll warm up both of us."

"B-but..."

Hermes gave him an exasperated look. "Seriously, what's wrong with you?" He suddenly sneezed, shivering as he wrapped his arms around himself. He turned to the furiously blushing man, deciding he was too impatient to wait for a reply. Lovino then grabbed a hold on the taller brunette's hand, dragging him towards the back door of the cafe. "Come on."

Antonio didn't know _where_ to look. It had been hard that the God had such gorgeous, tight bums and slender white back that was too alluring for his eyes to un-see.

This was going to be a long night.

* * *

Alfred F. Jones was never one to wake up early.

But when he woke up seeing the handsome face of a God he called his spouse, hearing his steady soft breathing brought a smile onto his face and roused him to wake up. Arthur was so cute when he slept with that peaceful expression on his face, though still furrowing his eyebrows sullenly. He guessed it was permanent. Smiling contently, he brought the older man closer to him with his arms already wrapped around Arthur since last night, now the sullen God was using his arm as a pillow, his loosely curled hands rested on the American's chest, sleeping soundly. He could stare at him hours and hours without getting bored.

Alfred sneakily snuggled against him, rubbing their cheeks together in process. Arthur grunted in his sleep, sighing softly. It was no wonder Arthur was still tired from last night's… activity. And although he had rejected and refused Alfred's advances in great vigor, in the end he gave him after Alfred seduced him into it. Alfred wondered if he had some kind of strong pheromone or something, that Arthur couldn't resist him? He was an incredibly handsome guy after all. Age had nothing to do with love! But of course, Alfred had to keep his promise not to touch Arthur until he turned twenty. Well, as long as he didn't put _it_ in, he could practically do anything to the older man. And he had intended to persuade Arthur until he gave up and let him have all the sex he wanted.

And it had been a great night.

Ahh, heaven.

But his peaceful thought went disarray when Alfred caught a glimpse of the round clock hanging on the wall, its short needle pointed at the gap between eight and nine, while the long one at six. He inadvertently jumped, causing Ares to roll on the other side of the bed, twisting his eyebrows in displease while slowly waking up to a panicked American. Rubbing his eyes to sweep off the remaining of drowsiness, he took the sight of Alfred who had jumped off of the bed, now frantically putting on his clothes. And which horribly failed to do so as he stumbled in his jeans.

"What the bloody hell's wrong with you, so loud early in the morning?" Ares grumbled in irritation, feeling his head dizzy.

"Fuck, I'm late!" was all the American shouted, finally managing to slide his legs into the navy jeans.

Arthur raised a questioning eyebrow. "Late for what?"

"School!"

"School?" Then it hit Arthur's head. Oh yeah, he was married to a brat. How could he forget such horrible revelation?

Arthur wanted to go back to sleep, but apparently the noisily panicking blonde had deprived him from his peaceful, quiet sleep. Alfred yelped when his fingers got stuck in the zipper, sucking in the reddened digit while zipping the fly back up with another hand. Then baby blue eyes searched about for the missing shirt that had flown somewhere within the room. Arthur observed lazily, a hand supported his face as he saw Alfred finally found his shirt but couldn't find his favorite jacket.

Sighing, Arthur flung the sheets off of him and swung his legs to sit at the edge of the bed, standing up then. He pulled the sheets to cover his lower body, bending over to pick up the old bomber jacket that was lying on the floor next to the spring bed. "Here," He said, hurling the blasted thing towards Alfred, who caught it perfectly.

"Thanks, babe!" Alfred said as he walked over around the bed, giving the older blonde a kiss on the cheek.

"_Babe_?" Arthur gave him an disbelieving look. Alfred only grinned as he put on the jacket.

"'coz your my darling Arty." He leaned in again to peck on Arthur's lips.

But his grin fell when he saw the clock again. "Oh shit, look at the time! I'm gonna be super late!"

"Don't you want breakfast?"

Alfred paled almost immediately. "You know I love you, but I can't be blacking out again and missed the class…" He quickly added when Arthur's face reddened in anger. "…but if you'll have me for dinner, I'll definitely come!"

Ares cooled down quickly. "Fair enough," He stated.

Alfred sighed exasperatedly. God knew what horrid abomination Arthur going to prepare for dinner. He shuddered at the thought of it. Heracles had warned him over and over again not to insult Ares's cooking _ever_. If he wanted to live another day. Alfred sure didn't want Arthur to lapse into his God of War mode and blow up walls and stab him with a silver spear guarantee death. Only once he had to experience near death, aside the pancake incident.

After Arthur slid into his boxers, the two went downstairs. Alfred promptly dashed into the kitchen and grabbed a carton of milk and started drinking away straight with the said box, earning the older man's disgusted gaze. Heracles came into the dining room a minute later, rubbing his eyes while muttering a "Morning," with a box of kittens within his arms.

"Alfred, don't empty out the milk. My cats need it." He told the younger boy after he saw the American gulping the liquid like a horse.

"Oh, sorry, step-bro." Alfred wiped off his mouth, handing the carton of milk that was still half-filled. Heracles accepted it lazily, his kittens mewled in joy.

Then he turned to the annoyed Ares, giving him a kiss on both cheeks and lips. He withdrew and grinned at the God's lightly flushed cheeks. "I'm going, Arty."

"Just go already." Arthur averted his eyes, acting uncaring.

Alfred fetched his bag from the kitchen counter, then swung it over his shoulders. He offered a fist towards the drowsy Grecian, who tilted his head in confusion. Alfred laughed and led his knuckles to bump against his, explaining it was a some sort of popular greeting in school. Heracles nodded, staring at his own hand blankly. Arthur followed the American to the front door, where Alfred resumed sliding his foot into a pair of blue sneakers, messily tying the laces.

"I'm gonna come over when school's done!" He declared as he glanced over his shoulder at the older man who was standing by the door.

Alfred waved at him and dashed off, turning left after crossing the gate and vanishing.

"So he's still in high school." Heracles commented when Arthur entered the living room, he was nursing his cats again. It was more like a statement than a question. Arthur raised his eyebrow at the sudden interest of the topic, flopping on the sofa across Heracles, so the kittens' furs didn't stick to him.

"I just found out yesterday myself." He admitted, crossing his legs elegantly.

"He told me the whole thing. Too bad I missed father." Heracles paused for a while, picking up Tora from reaching his face. "I heard he's attending the West High. That's a pretty nice school. A lot of rich kids go there." He told Arthur, glancing up at his half-brother.

"Is that so? I didn't know." Well, he didn't have any interest in local schools. Though Arthur knew every bars and clubs in every corner of the town, he practically went there every night, before Alfred showed up and messed his drinking schedule.

Kuro mewled softly on his lap, greedily licking at the pipet's hole. "Didn't you know he used to be straight?" He suddenly asked.

Now Arthur looked at him straight in the eye, face twisted in the strange tone Heracles used. "…he did tell me he was into girls before." He uttered, eying at his brother, feeling he was acting odd.

"I heard he's quite the ladies' man." Arthur stared at him even more suspiciously.

"Heracles, why all the questions? It's rare to see you so interested in something other than… cats." He said as he glanced into the purring kittens on the Grecian's lap.

"It's nothing, really. I was just a bit curious" The younger God muttered blandly, but he gave a short glance at the suspicious man. "Don't you feel curious too?"

"Of what?"

"If Alfred has many girl _friends_." Heracles pointed out.

Arthur snorted. "So what if he is? It's not like he's bad looking. He can have all fan girls or boys he wanted. They're his friends after all."

"…don't you think he'll cheat on you?"

Ares paused.

"He'll _what_?" He chuckled, almost laughing out loud. "Alfred? Cheating on me? Are to trying to crack a joke, Heracles? Because I think you have the talent."

But Heracles didn't laugh. "…I'm serious. You have too much self-confident, Ares. Don't you think Alfred will soon get tired of that? You've been doing nothing but getting mad at him for no reason. He's still a teenager, Ares. And a human. He's at the age of wanting to try a lot of things. He's going to need something else and prefer someone who doesn't reject him all the time." He paused. "Have it ever occured to you that he just might… fool around a bit?"

Arthur fell silent.

"…don't be stupid. I'm not the one who wants this marriage. He forces it on me." He stated, face hardening. Heracles could see he was clenching his fists on the sofa.

"There you go with that attitude again." Heracles noncommittally said. "He might get bored of you."

"Get bored? Get bored of _me_, Ares the God of War?" Ares suddenly stood up, face twisting in rage. Heracles only stared blankly at him. "Don't you realize who I am? I am Ares! No human can resist a Mighty God like me. I am much more superior in terms of strength and beauty, no mortals can compare with me! He is fortunate enough that I'm willing to even lay an eye on him, he wouldn't dare to look at another. None of my human lover have ever been unfaithful knowing I was by their side!" He snapped at the younger God, who in turn, just kept silent.

Arthur suddenly realized he was being silly, he shouldn't have gotten dragged into the flow of Heracles's stupid idea. He brought two digits to massage the suddenly aching temples. "This conversation is over, I'm going to have a shower."

He turned on his back and about to leave the room when Heracles spoke again.

"You know, he just might be."

But Arthur didn't heed him - at least he tried to - and strode upstairs.

There was no way Alfred would cheat on him, he was Ares, the Mighty God of War! No human can turn their heads from him.

Stupid Heracles.

...

But Arthur couldn't help to feel _curious_.

* * *

Too bad Ares didn't take the bait, Heracles sighed deeply. Yesterday Kiku had said he couldn't meet him today, since he had a regular medical check-up and that would take all day. He knew the West High was nearby the hospital where Kiku took his medical tests. He remembered the Japanese man had mentioned it before. He had wanted to go there and maybe he'd meet Kiku if he could get Arthur to go and get him busying himself with Alfred, while he sneaked into the hospital.

"I guess today we'll only stay at home all day." He muttered at Shiro, as he picked the white kitten up to his eye level. He knew it was going to be a boring day without Kiku around.

But his sulky mood quickly changed when Arthur shouted from the upper floor.

"Heracles! We're going out!"

He knew Arthur had taken the bait.

* * *

TBC

* * *

A/N: Next chapter: USUK smut, GiriPan, and Denmark's first appearance. Phew. That's many. x.x Reviews boast updates speed! XD


	9. Silly

A/N: As I was writing this chapter, I laid in bed because of all the stress bottled up in this one rough week (and with the messed up eating schedule) has driven my stomach wild. My mom told me to stay in bed and what did I do? I wrote fanfics. In secret. Don't tell her! She's scary when she's mad. x.x Anyway… Since I didn't have anything better to do, I figured I should just update this story. Since I promised "reviews boast updates speed". Yes, they made me very happy, darlings. :3

I'd love to say a couple of things to some people:

**Yumiko**-san, the pics are ADORABLE. I LOVE them. XD Thank you for the fanarts you drew for American Wife! XD I posted the link on my profile page, you should check it out! :3

**Cyrille-ve**: Honey, please log in when you review. I would really love to reply your reviews, but it'll be hard to reply to each one of them if you don't log in :3 Don't forget to log in, sweetheart! :)

**Rating**: M for language and suggestive themes.

**Main Pairing: **USxUK

**Side pairings:** GiriPan, RoChu, FraNada, GerIta, SpaiRoma, DenNor, SweFin, and others.

**Ares**-Arthur/England

**Heracles**/Hercules-Heracles/Greece

**Zeus**-Francis/France

**Apollo**-Vash/Switzerland

**Artemis**-Lili/Liechtenstein

**Athena**-Elizaveta/Hungary

**Dionysus**-Feliciano/N. Italy

**Demeter**-Katja/Ukraine

**Poseidon**-Ivan/Russia

**Hermes**-Lovino/S. Italy

**Hephaestus**-Berwald/Sweden

**Hestia**-Natalia/Belarus

**Hades**-Lukas/Norway

Warnings: M-rated contents, and language. Some stuff are made-up, plots based on Grecian myths. This story is purely fiction.

**Chapter Nine: Silly**

For the sake of his pride, Ares had done a _lot_ of things.

He was the pure-blooded child of Zeus and Hera, for heaven's sake! He was damn proud of his immeasurable strength, he was far more superior than those half-gods, even more than the mortals. Both races praised him for his eternal youthful beauty, power, and vigor. He had entered and won countless wars, bedded countless lovers, did a lot of things throughout his immortal life. Of course, he had lost to other gods before, only a few, unworthy of spoken for, times. He always made sure he was unbeatable then. Eras passed by, although he was no longer the passionate, brutal God of War he used to be, but his pride still remained exactly the same.

He was Ares, the God of Warfare and Bloodlust! He was the mighty god who defeated many, in terms of war and love. He was an excellent lover in bed, and he was still excellent now. He was more than capable of satisfying his partners in the most sensual way they would never be able to forget, and although he didn't have the experience sleeping with a man and being the receiving end, he was sure Alfred was satisfied with his unrivaled body. Why, the idiot perverted blonde could hardly keep his hands off of him! He couldn't be thinking of cheating on him! No. It was just Heracles's stupid idea, and he was not falling for it.

He was not falling for it.

He was not.

_Definitely_ not.

"You look good." Heracles earnestly commented when Arthur emerged into the living room, clad in a rather big-sized, sea green and white knitted sweater Alfred left the other day, and a pair of indigo jeans. He even wore white sneakers and black socks beneath the jeans he thought he'd buy for minute details.

He was dressed like a high schooler.

"Shut up."

West High was exactly like they said, had big and wide estate, tall buildings consisted in the middle and high schools divisions as well as other facilities dedicated in several brown buildings. Teenagers of all skin and hair colors scattered all over the school grounds, after the bell rang and signaled it was lunch time. As soon as they entered the high school building, hoards of people greeted them, filling almost every space within their lines of vision. So many heads and sweaty teenagers made Ares felt nauseous, being surrounded by them. Heracles stayed nonchalant as Arthur grabbed onto his wrist and dragged him, lunging into the throng of teenage students of all shapes and heights and smells.

Bumping onto some people in result wasn't exactly what he least expected, but when he accidentally bumped onto the shoulder of a rather huge boy in blue jacket and the said boy snarled at him and started calling Ares "Watch where yer going, wuss." along with his identically clothed friends. Oh no he did _not_. He dared to call Ares a _wuss_? Ares was sure the kid wished for a painful death. He was even fiercer in response, snarling at the mortal boys with the wrath of a Grecian War God he was, ready to strike. But Heracles, in turn, pulled him and dragged him away from the jocks before Ares could blow their brains out.

Apparently, bringing Heracles along was a _great_ idea.

For some reasons, although they had perfectly disguised themselves as students, Ares's quick-temper seemed to worsen and fasten significantly dangerous in such crowded place, being a hater of noises and crowds and the like. And for one reason or another, most of the students weren't practically nice or polite most of of the time as they, again, called Ares or Heracles insults after either one of them unintentionally bumped onto them within the tight mass. Heracles ignored it. Ares was ready to bring forth his spear. And the younger god had to drag him away before he did something stupid. "No, Ares. You _can't_ massacre these kids."

This was more tiring than he had calculated.

And yet they hadn't spotted their target yet. Blondes. There were so many blondes here. Especially the girls. Why were there so many blondes? And almost all of the girls with blonde hair wore the exact same outfit; skimpy and colorful sleeveless shirt that could barely cover their flat stomachs and bellybuttons and a matching skirt that went down only twenty centimeters from their hips. Their hair was done in the same way too. Heracles wondered if there was going to be a festival or something. Though he quickly dismissed the distracting thought, and went back at trying to search for his brother's wife.

He and Ares found a secluded, mass-free spot right in front of the biology lab in between the lockers, then stuck his head up slightly above the average height of the crowd, screening his surroundings. Apparently he wasn't too lucky. He spotted some blonde guys, but none of them had been Alfred. Ares had begun to sulk next to him, crossing his arms and glaring at anyone and anything while leaning against the door. Heracles sighed. Now he had to deal with so many children here alone - that included his own older brother.

And all of this would be worth it if he could meet with Kiku again. But he had to find Alfred first to distract Arthur from killing each and every kid lingered within the school. Yep, he nodded, Alfred would be a really helpful distraction, but until he was sure Ares wouldn't try anything stupid, he would stay on his side to pull and drag and prevent and maybe occasionally knock him out with a brick or something. Just for safety.

Heracles stuck his head up again, adding the height by standing on his toes. Blonde. Red head. Brunette. Blonde. Red head. Brunette. Brunette. Green head? Heracles blinked. A boy with green hair styled in too much hair gel that kept his odd-colored hair stood up in the air unmoving and hardened like a statue passed by him, glancing at him with eyes framed in black rings underneath. His clothes were dark and Heracles read, "Heavy Metal! FUCK YEAH!" on the front of the black shirt. Heracles stared at him, unflinching.

He thought he saw a goblin.

And while Heracles was staring at the unfamiliar phenomena, Ares was feeling increasingly annoyed of himself. What the fuck was he doing? He went to this hell hole just to prove that Alfred hadn't cheated on him, because of his damned pride now he had to suffer the consequences. He felt nauseous, being within so tight, so dense of a mass of mortals. He was never a god with the fondness of unnecessary crowd, and yet he knew as much that school was like the lair of the most annoying mortals he had ever met: teenagers.

And yet he was married to one, in which was one of the causes he went to this place in the first place. A place where teenagers gathered. And he had no idea where could Alfred be. This place wasn't small and these crowds only made it harder. Fuck. Arthur clicked his tongue in irritation. Fuck. What the hell was he doing? He felt silly. Of course, there was no way Alfred would-

"Ares! I found him!"

Ares's emerald eyes widened and stuck his head up as well, seeing the familiar defying-gravity-strand of blonde hair bobbing up within the seemingly lessening crowd. Arthur strained his eyes and stood on his toes as he tried to see better, though it was unnecessary because the mass had lessened significantly due to the students had entered the cafeteria.

Ares's emerald eyes widened, but for a different reason.

A girl was kissing _his_ Alfred.

* * *

Alfred was having a great morning at school.

He managed to enter the class on time. It was really close though, and he had sweat like crazy from running at full speed. Of course he could! He was the star athlete in basketball team! He was an awesome hero, and one who could run a mile without sweating. Kind of. Anyway, he barely made into the class, right before Mr. Todd, the English Literature Teacher, could enter the classroom. And Alfred quickly flopped down onto his favorite seat nearby the window, on the back rows - although he had to drive away that bespectacled nerd guy who sat on his chair earlier.

His buddy from middle school who sat right behind him, Mathias grinned at him as he offered his fist. Alfred grinned and bumped his against the Danish's. He was a cool guy. A great three pointer in basketball team also. And the two had been best friends since eight grade, Alfred knew all of his crazy escapades as he accompanied him during those times, so did Mathias. They made great partners, especially in pranks. The two just _loved_ messing around.

"Hey, where did ya go off to last Saturday? Hooked up with a girl?" Mathias whispered to him as Todd began his usual boring lecture, leaning forward but keeping low profile.

Alfred grinned. "Sorry, got distracted. I met the love of my life." He answered in whisper.

Mathias's big beady eyes widened and shone in delight. "What, man? That's great! 'bout time you go steady, man. That's cool."

"Yeah. Tell you later 'bout the guy." The American winked.

"It's a guy?" Mathias raised his eyebrows. "Thought yer not interested. Are ya gay?"

"Nah. I still like girls, but this guy is _special_. He's the one." Alfred confidently whispered, making sure no one listening to their secret conversation.

"Whatever hits your button, man. If you're serious, I'll root for ya." Mathias grinned and gave him a thumbs up.

"Thanks, man. I knew ya'd say that." Alfred returned his thumbs-up.

"Be quiet in my class." Todd gave them the mean eyes and they quickly acted as if they were taking notes.

Mathias was straight. He _loved_ boobs. But he was never one of those guys who loathed gays, partly because he was raised by two _legally married_ guys, he was adopted. Since he was young, Alfred had visited Mathias's house countless of times and met his two _dads_. At first he was uncomfortable and felt a bit weird, but those feelings disappeared as time went by. Maybe that was also because Mathias's more feminine dad cooked really delicious pancakes and pies and many more sweets. They were really nice to him. Alfred liked them a lot.

And being an easygoing son, Mathias had an extensive view towards life. You could tell him your kinkiest obsessions, and he wouldn't bat his eyes even once. Except if it included murder or abuse or obsessing over underage children. He'd thought you were sick like every other normal person would. He was also really friendly, and he never discriminate people by cliques, races, or skin colors. He was one of the jocks, but he could talk easily with the nerds and geeks, even the emos. That was why basically everyone at school liked him. He was very popular, in both genders. But the guy didn't seem to notice that himself. Mathias had blinked and laughingly said he was imagining things when some guy told him he was popular.

He was cool.

The teacher didn't come in the next class, chemistry. All the kids started chatting and playing football in the classroom, while Alfred and Mathias had found a secluded spot at the back rows for some storytelling. Alfred enthusiastically told him about his encounter with Arthur (minus the fact that Arthur was actually Ares, the War God, and that he tried to kill him once), and now although a bit forced, they were in a relationship.

Mathias listened with delight and curiosity as Alfred exaggerated their second night ("Arty _begged_ me to lick him, and being a great lover, I did it with technique! Man, he was one cute old guy!") to an even more detailed and perverted version of the story ("I groaned as I thrust wildly into his sexy little hole, and he thrashed beneath me, clearly from pleasure, right? His lustful flushing face was such a _great_ turn on -") and so on and so on.

"Sounds like he's a really interesting guy," Mathias commented after Alfred finished the story.

"Yeah he is, he's my Arty!" Alfred beamed, grinning widely.

Mathias smiled. "I'm glad, man. You look really happy. Can't wait ta meet this 'Arty'!" He said, laughing.

"You betcha, dude. I can't wait to introduce you to him. It's gonna be cool."

"Say, wanna go to my house this weekend? My dad's been whining you never come over to taste his snacks again. 'sides, ya can ask them for advice, they're experts at gay sex." The Danes suggested. But then he rolled his eyes. "Dude, they are so _loud_, I wish someone would choke them to sleep just so I can sleep _one_ night without sticking pillows to my ears."

"That sounds awesome, Matt. Arty always complains 'bout his waist hurting after sex. I gotta ask yer dads for that." The American thoughtfully said.

"Cool. But count on me to leave the room when you three start 'the talk', 'k?"

Before they knew it, the school bell rang, indicating lunch time. Mathias looked at Alfred, who nodded. And they stood from their seats, with both stomachs growling for food. It was a given that they would go to the cafeteria to have lunch with the other jocks and cheerleaders, it was like a tradition. At the cafeteria, you could see clearly who was in which clique. Apparently because Alfred and Mathias were both the stars of basketball team and both were popular, they got to seat in the popular table. Mathias didn't really like the system, but sat along with them because Alfred was there. He thought the girls were a bit too easy. Alfred always knew Mathias dug into the more quiet, reserved type.

As soon as they left the class, the sight of the tight crowds and many chatters sent blue eyes rolling. He hated that lunch bell really literarily meant 'jungle of humans filling the room like ants'. Alfred's body was big and muscular, making it hard for him to sneak into the mass without bumping into anyone. He would at least hit fifteen people's shoulders before he could reach the cafeteria, which was located right at the end of the opposite corridor. The far one.

"Alfred, I forgot my wallet in the locker. I'm gonna buy soda, I'll treat ya one if you bear with me." Mathias said, noticing the American's inner struggle.

But Alfred nodded anyway. "Sure."

They lunged into the throng of students, inching their way along the crowded corridor. As he expected, Alfred bumped into six people along the way, two even fell on their butts. He groaned in frustration, but apologized and helped them to their feet anyway. Mathias didn't like it if he treated people badly because they were nerds, he would always throw him dirty looks that clearly didn't suit the ever cheerful and easygoing Dane. For the sake of his buddy, Alfred complied to it.

After that, _finally_, they reached Mathias's locker. The crowd had also gotten lesser as more and more of them either entered the cafeteria, went outside or anywhere he didn't know. The Dane was fumbling with the lock, while Alfred leaned against the rack of lockers next to him. He idly watched the familiar faces and those he couldn't recognize passed by him, whistling to himself.

"Hey, Alfred."

The American turned his head to see one of the cheerleaders was standing next to him. Stephanie. A (artificially dyed) blonde girl he had an idle fling with three months ago. It was purely accidental, and he had always known the girl had set her eyes on him, and had refused to give up after only just one night. Alfred mentally cringed. He wasn't fond of pushy girls. But he didn't want to be a jerk who dumped women on her face in public, he hated those kinds of un-heroic and insensitive bastards, and Stephanie seemed to know that and took advantage of it.

"Hi, Steph." Alfred nonchalantly averted his eyes, showing uninterested.

"So… I was wondering if you have any plans this Friday." The girl acted shy as she played with the high and tidily styled ponytail of hers. Grey eyes glanced up at irritated blue. "Do you?"

"I'm gonna crash at Matt's place this weekend. Sorry." Alfred quickly said.

"Oh, come on." Stephanie took a gentle hold on Alfred's hand, tugging him lightly. She pouted. "You can go next time, spend this Friday with me! It's been so long since we hung out together!"

Alfred was confused of how to refuse, but he definitely had to. Girls had this strange ability of making guys felt bad in such situations. "Steph, please. There was never something between us. It was just a one-night stand, okay? I'm seeing someone else right now." He tried to reason as gentle as he could.

The pout turned to frown. "Fine." He let go of her grip. But before Alfred could sigh in relief, the cheerleader added. "But I'm not going to give up."

And then she suddenly pulled him down by the arm and forcefully kissed him as she wrapped her arms around his neck.

Alfred froze. Mathias did too, a brown leather wallet in hand.

The kiss only lasted for five seconds, before she withdrew with a triumphant smile. She released Alfred's neck and blew a kiss at him, before leaving skipping on her way to the cafeteria, along the now almost emptied hallway.

"Wow." Mathias commented, scratching the back of his head. "That's one tough nut to crack. Her will, I mean."

Alfred was going to say something to the Dane when he turned his head and froze with widened eyes instead when he took in the sight of a red-faced Arthur just a bit far from where he was, his shoulders and fists were visibly trembling in anger. Face twisted in wrath. Heracles stood behind him, scratching his cheek. He looked like he wasn't sure if he could stop Ares from exploding, glancing from Ares to Alfred. Alfred dropped his jaws.

"A-Arthur?" He exclaimed in surprise, face paling. Oh crap, did he see that?

He had thought Arthur would immediately burst into his God of War mode, produce a hundred spears out of thin air, stomp his way towards Alfred, skewer him like a chicken in front of his buddy, and color the whole school red in his blood. He gulped. Yeah, it was so like Arthur to do that. He had waited with eyes shut in excruciating anticipation, but seconds passed and nothing happened. Not even a high-pitched yell of his name.

He cracked open an eye and saw Arthur was still standing there, fists clenched at either sides of his body, glaring at him. But did nothing else. And then, completely unexpected of what he had thought, Arthur turned on his back and strode away. But Heracles made no attempt at following him as he only stared at the American.

Alfred had frozen.

Then he quickly snapped out of it. He forced his legs to run towards the older man, shouting, "A-Arty! Wait! It's not like what it looks like! Arty! You misunderstand!"

Arthur only looked over his shoulder, clearly angry. "_Bullshit_! Stop following me, you unfaithful piece of shit! Go away run to your little _mistress_!" And then he ran faster.

"Arthur! Y-you got it all wrong!"

As the two blondes quickly vanished within their visions, both Mathias and Heracles were silent.

"…oh, shit. Is that 'Arty'?" Mathias asked, still holding up his wallet.

"Apparently, he is." Heracles replied noncommittally.

Hmm. This was even more interesting than the Grecian Hero had calculated.

* * *

TBC

* * *

A/N: Oh yeah. I do feel bad for ending it this way. No smut for this chapter, as I see it doesn't fit into this one if I want to write some long smut. :3 (and with my stomach going wild I'm not sure if I can write it right) Next is the USUK smut, I swear. And Giripan. Promise. XD By the way… you know I named Denmark "Mathias" and Norway "Lukas". But I don't have any idea what family names I should give them. I'm really unfamiliar with Northern Europe names x.x Could you give some suggestions? Some family names that are suitable for them? I really appreciate it if you tell me! :)

As always, reviews boast both the author's passion to write and the updates speed. The more reviews I got, the quicker the updates I publish! XD Sounds plausible, yes?

Lol. Danish. Should've been "Dane" Sorry I made people from Denmark sounded like pastries! XD Thanks for the heads up, **PiratedxHearts** dear! :3


	10. Persuasion

A/N: I need to censor the smut in this chapter because some readers warned about MA-rated stories being taken down. If you want to read the original chapter, tell me your email in the review or PM. I'll send the chapter to you.

**Rating**: M for language and suggestive themes.

**Main Pairing: **USxUK

**Side pairings:** GiriPan, RoChu, FraNada, GerIta, SpaiRoma, DenNor, SweFin, and others.

**Ares**-Arthur/England

**Heracles**/Hercules-Heracles/Greece

**Zeus**-Francis/France

**Apollo**-Vash/Switzerland

**Artemis**-Lili/Liechtenstein

**Athena**-Elizaveta/Hungary

**Dionysus**-Feliciano/N. Italy

**Demeter**-Katja/Ukraine

**Poseidon**-Ivan/Russia

**Hermes**-Lovino/S. Italy

**Hephaestus**-Berwald/Sweden

**Hestia**-Natalia/Belarus

**Hades**-Lukas/Norway

* * *

**Chapter Ten: Persuasion**

He shouldn't have let things be so far gone like this.

Ares clenched his jaw, striding along the hallway with an unbelievably quick pace, that people had thought he was running. But he was not. He was _striding_ quickly. He was just using his mighty speed and he just wanted to quickly get the hell away from this hellhole. But this wasn't enough, maybe he had to use his spear and transform it into a motorbike or something. At this rate, he could've cared less of being found out.

"Arthur! Y-you got it all wrong!"

_Bullshit. Bullshit. Bullshit. Fucking bullshit!_

He wasn't going to fall for that. He wasn't! He had seen enough. Now he had to leave before what was left of his little patience run out and he explode, possibly turning the whole area into a battlefield. Any obstacle in his way would certainly result in a bloody mess. He felt rage already gnawed sharply at his insides, hatred burning within his ribcage. How dare he! How dare he stomped at his pride over and over again, degrading him in such a way! He wasn't going to forgive this! He had enough! Ares cluck his tongue in displease, gritting his teeth.

Arthur sped up his pace.

"Arthur! Wait!" Alfred's desperate call fell on deaf ears.

The older man had misunderstood! Alfred screamed why, why the hell Arthur had to walk in to such a bad timing, of all time. There was nothing between him and that girl, he had to tell him! He wasn't giving up. He wouldn't until Arthur understand that he had mistaken, that Alfred hadn't cheated on him. But it made it hard for him that Ares was walking so fast, when he clearly wasn't running. But Alfred managed to follow him, the gap between the two was only two or three feet. Alfred wasn't called the best point guard in West High for nothing.

They were already outside of the building, Arthur promptly descended the stairs while Alfred slid down along the iron bar, only managing to knock down a guy who was unsteadily holding a bunch of books. The brunette fell on the hard, flat cement, books scattered everywhere. "S-Sorry!" Alfred got off and helped him stand on his knees, but he glanced hurriedly down at the older blonde, who had reached the end of the stairs, resuming his way towards the front gate.

Alfred cursed his luck, he promptly apologized to the guy, before dashing down the stairs, skipping several steps while almost stumbling. He ignored the odd looks plastered on the others' faces as he dashed, sweat covered all over the exposed skin and soaked under the clothes he wore. He could've cared less of how this affect his reputation at that time, Arthur was all he could think of. He wordlessly thanked the gods when Arthur suddenly stopped before a throng of students occupying the center of the school ground, he quickly grabbed the chance and it became literal, catching Arthur's right arm, tightening his grip then.

He half-forcefully turned him around, a clear expression of displease met his gaze as Ares frowned deeply, glaring at Alfred. The younger blonde flinched under his wrathful gaze, but he grabbed at the smaller shoulders instead, making sure the older wouldn't run away anymore. He was panting, quite heavily so. He felt a bit dizzy from all the running, and yet Arthur didn't seem to have broken a sweat. Alfred was about to speak out when he realized there were too many people looking at the two with curious expression on their faces. He realized the possibility of making Arthur even angrier if other people were to know about their relationship, Alfred didn't like too many people knew his private life either, so he released Ares's shoulders and grabbed his right wrist instead.

"We'll talk in somewhere more quiet, okay?" He told Arthur, who didn't reply and was strangely silent.

He had wondered why Arthur didn't struggle when Alfred dragged him across the green pasture, towards a small building at the farthest west side of the school area. It was the library. And it was known that the library was closed during lunchtime since the librarians and the caretakers consisted of students who volunteered, and they were most likely at the cafeteria now. The entrance was locked, but Alfred had the duplicate key in his wallet he got from one of his ex-girlfriends, who was also a librarian. These days, no one really went to the library, most of the kids who went there were the nerds, none of those gossipers ever took the time to linger around the old building, except for home works and making out.

He made sure no one saw them before he unlocked the door, pushing the door inward and then entering a huge room filled with wooden shelves stuffed to the brim with books of all shapes, colors, and categories. As he expected, it was silent and empty inside. He could hear no sound but their own footsteps and the noise of the door that creaked shut. Alfred locked the door again, just in case a librarian came for a double-check. The whole room and the books were tidily arranged, almost eerily so, with the indigo carpet closed every gap of the floor and the white-painted walls and ceilings, the whole atmosphere wasn't exactly cheery.

He glanced at the eerily silent Arthur, who, despite was still glaring at the carpet as if it had done him wrong, was oddly obedient. Alfred wondered if this was what people called "A quiet moment before a storm", because the quick-tempered Arthur just acted the same way, it was as if he was holding it in, building it up until it explode. Alfred gulped. He couldn't help but to remember the deathly aura Arthur emitted when he was 'Ares', when he had attempted to kill him right after their first night.

But he knew he had to set things straight, facing the older man with courage, staring into his eyes. "Listen, Arthur. Listen to me. There is nothing between me and that girl, okay? Stephanie's just a friend. Well, she did that because we…" He hesitated. But he had to tell the truth, didn't he? Well, not entirely, Alfred didn't dare to tell Arthur he had slept with her before. But it was way before he met Arthur! It didn't count as cheating.

"Listen, she likes me, okay? But I don't like her, I've told her that I'm seeing someone else - you. But she said she doesn't want to give up and she forced me. That kiss was nothing. She forced it on me." He explained, hoping Arthur would understand.

But Arthur kept quiet.

"Arthur?" Alfred called out softly, wondering if he hadn't heard him.

"…excuses. You humans are a bunch of lame excuses." Ares suddenly spat out, malice dripping from his voice. Alfred unconsciously took a step back. Arthur looked at his own feet, glaring at the carpet.

"No. You're no different with us. Zeus always told Mother those women were nothing, that he only loved Mother and no one else. It turned out all lies. Lies. Lies. All lies. He even went as far as making demi-gods children with those filthy women. He did it over and over again! My Mother suffers so much! " He clenched his fists.

After he heard Arthur's words, Alfred suddenly felt irritation surged up his body, taking a firm hold on both of his shoulders, he blurted out, "That's not true! I really love you, only you! I am _not_ cheating on you! It was an accident!"

"How could it be an accident, when you did _nothing_ to stop it!" Arthur snapped back, shooting hot glares at the younger man's face. "You just stood there! You didn't stop her! You just froze there and you didn't even push her! You _accepted_ her kiss. How can you call that an _accident_!"

"I was surprised! I didn't expect her to still be so stubborn after all the times I've spent _rejecting_ her! She took me by surprise, okay? I don't like her! I love _you_! You're the only one for me!" Alfred tried to reason as harshly, tugging hard at Ares's shoulders.

"_Bullshit_!" Arthur spat, slapping the hands away with a much stronger strength, that Alfred's tight grip loosened almost immediately.

"You're so like him, so full of bullshit! Let me tell you, never have I ever been unfaithful to any of my lover when I was with them! Even if I was, I would never tell them such lies that they were the one for me and I wouldn't look at others! I hate lies more than anything, I hate them!"

"I didn't lie to you! Can't you tell that I'm telling the truth? Only the truth, Arthur!"

Arthur shook his head, screwing his eyes shut. "Liar! You're a liar! Don't tell me that you've never slept with her, because it'll make you an even bigger liar! There is no way that girl can be so stubborn if you had not given her some hopes! Don't you dare lie to me!"

Alfred groaned in frustration. "Okay, I did, okay? I slept with her! So I didn't lie! I may have slept with her once, but that was months ago, before I even met you. And after I met you, I made up my mind to never look at another person again for the rest of my life!" Alfred took a brave step forward and once again secured his grip at the older man's shoulders. He didn't care if Arthur was a god, he didn't care if he'd kill him afterwards! He had to make him understand, even if it cost him an arm or two.

"Didn't you once tell me you wanted to meet with someone who will make you go madly in love with? I've wanted it to be me, Arthur. At that time I fall in love with the man who said those words so earnestly, so innocently, I was jealous of the person who would get such an earnest man! That's why I did it! I took you before anyone could! It might be selfish of me, but I don't regret it! Not at all! And if I ever wished for the same thing. I'd want that person to be _you_!" He shook his shoulders lightly, looking at the god straight in the eyes, without blinking, showing him a pair of honest, serious blue eyes.

Arthur was taken aback, emerald eyes widened.

"Lies." He muttered softly, but this time he sounded like he wasn't sure himself. He lowered his gaze to Alfred's chest instead. "You're lying."

"I'm not lying." Alfred sighed tiredly, pulling the older man into his arms. He breathed in the bright golden tresses as he embraced him closer. "I wasn't lying when I said I love you, okay? If it makes you feel better, I'll tell you that you're the only one for me at the moment."

Arthur suddenly pushed him, Alfred didn't expect to find those brilliant green eyes widened in disappointment. "…at the moment?" He uttered, a question tone ending his sentence.

Alfred smiled and kissed his forehead. "At the moment." He repeated. "But that means 'forever'."

The American was even more surprised but delighted at the same time when a crimson blush spread over the god's face, all the way to his ears. His mouth gaped slightly, but no coherent words escaped the parted lips. Alfred laughed out loud, earning an embarrassed glare from the older blonde. He leaned down and gave a short peck on Arthur's lips, before withdrawing a second later. Arthur frowned. Then he suddenly brought his hands up and wrapped them around the American's neck, pulling him down for a kiss.

* * *

"What's wrong, Heracles-san?" Kiku had asked with a voice laced in worry, at the quiet Grecian who hadn't been responding to his call for a while now.

Heracles snapped his head aware, finally returned to reality. He remembered he was sitting on a bench just outside of the hospital with a special friend, chatting as usual. "N-nothing, Kiku-san. I-I am just worried."

"What is it that you're worried about? Perhaps you will feel better if you tell me." Kiku offered kindly, although his gaze was as absent and unfocused as ever as he tilted his head towards the Grecian Hero.

"Well," Heracles scratched his cheek. "My brother was fighting with his wife just a little while ago. It was just a misunderstanding, I think. But they dashed off suddenly and went somewhere else, I'm worried because my brother has an awful temper." He explained, leaving the details where he had actually abandoned them so he could sneak into the hospital and meet Kiku, and which he had done with a little guilt in his chest.

"Was it that bad?" The Japanese brought a hand to his mouth, eyebrows curling up.

"Hmm. I don't think so. I think they're probably making up right now." He said. Seeing Arthur's reaction, Heracles could predict it. Although his older brother claimed himself as a brutal and heartless and bloodthirsty god, he wouldn't harm the people he liked. And the fact that he didn't try to kill Alfred right there and then at the school, showed that he was growing fond of the American boy even if he hadn't realized it yet. If Alfred had done right, they've probably kissed and made up by now.

"Oh. That is good." Kiku sighed in relief as he rubbed his chest gently. Heracles stared at the Japanese man curiously, it never ceased to amaze him how the Japanese man could show concern towards people he wasn't related to in any way, even to the animals. He was such a kind, good-natured man.

Which was why Heracles was fond of him in the first place. "Yes, it is a good thing." He smiled.

The atmosphere was nice. The hospital had plenty of trees and a big garden of flowers, and a white bench that was facing directly towards the colorful flowers was really comfortable. Heracles glanced at Kiku, who was enjoying the gentle breeze that blew his deep raven hair. If only Kiku could see, he would've been delighted, since the flowers were all blooming so beautifully, without blemish. He had told Heracles that he was able to see when he was younger, but a terrible illness had took his sight away. Though Kiku had said he was thankful his life was saved and that he could still be with his beloved family, but Heracles couldn't help but to feel disappointed that Kiku couldn't even see his face.

They chatted about things, Kiku talked mostly about his siblings, about how little Yong Soo suddenly came home from elementary school declaring he owned all of the family's 'breasts', and had tried to grope Thai-san's chest before Yao came in and stopped his attempts. He had laughed joyfully as he fondly told Heracles, his cheeks once again bloomed red as he told about his family. The same as Kiku, Heracles mostly talked about the cats, or complaining how Ares forced him to eat the failed food he cooked every day and how Heracles would always end up fainting after the first bite. They both had laughed at each other's stories.

The day was getting hotter, Heracles noticed the Japanese man was sweating under the sun. He had offered to him to buy some juice, but the Japanese had declined. After Heracles insisted, Kiku finally gave in and thanked him before the Grecian walked around searching for a vending machine. There was one within the hospital, near the receptionist desk, so Heracles decided to buy orange juice for Kiku, and strawberry milk for himself. But as he was walking along the small path, he met with an unexpected person.

"Hermes?" He uttered, and the brunette god, who was previously walking indifferently stopped on his track and turned his head, deep brown eyes widened slightly.

"Oh, Heracles. Fancy meeting you." The Messenger of the Gods greeted him, approaching the quiet half-god. "What are you doing here?"

"Ares and I live in the town at the moment." Heracles told him, Hermes nodded.

"Oh yeah, the Old Bastard mentioned that. I forgot." Hermes sighed, looking more absent unlike his usual self.

"What are you doing here, Hermes? I thought you're in Hades's place?"

Hermes scoffed. "Should be, but that bastard Dionysus just had to distract me and go missing."

Heracles's eyes widened. "Dionysus is here too? For what?"

"He's working. Supposedly anyway. Father gave him a task, but then he went off somewhere else as always instead. He's such a pain." The quick-tempered brunette sighed tiredly, scratching the back of his head. "And now because of him, I'm being punished. I have to gather souls by myself, using my powers is forbidden." He frowned, crossing his arms in displease.

"Oh. So that's why you came to the hospital." That was plausible, since so many people died at hospitals every day.

"No. I'm supposed to gather the 'special' souls only. I think I'm a bit lost, though the place should be around here somewhere. A guy's scheduled to die today." Hermes rubbed his chin in thought. Then he asked Heracles.

"Are you familiar with a place called West High?"

* * *

TBC


	11. Death

A/N: …I did something incredibly stupid to a friend. Now I'm feeling extremely bad about it. Shit, I feel like such a bitch. I have apologized to her at least, I don't know if she'll forgive me. But the most important thing is that I've apologized. This is really stupid. I am stupid. How could I be so insensitive? Stress isn't a reason to hurt someone's feelings! I can't apologize in person, I can only write this, hoping she'd read it. (or she'll still hate me for the rest of my life, I'm not sure) I'd better learn how to keep my mouth shut, even if we're in the internet and don't have to face each other in person, it doesn't mean we can say whatever we want. That's just plain mean. That applies to both of me and you. Anyway, she is a reader of this fic too, so I figured I should update it.

**Rating**: M for language and suggestive themes.

**Main Pairing: **USxUK

**Side pairings:** GiriPan, RoChu, FraNada, GerIta, SpaiRoma, DenNor, SweFin, and others.

**Ares**-Arthur/England

**Heracles**/Hercules-Heracles/Greece

**Zeus**-Francis/France

**Apollo**-Vash/Switzerland

**Artemis**-Lili/Liechtenstein

**Athena**-Elizaveta/Hungary

**Dionysus**-Feliciano/N. Italy

**Demeter**-Katja/Ukraine

**Poseidon**-Ivan/Russia

**Hermes**-Lovino/S. Italy

**Hephaestus**-Berwald/Sweden

**Hestia**-Natalia/Belarus

**Hades**-Lukas/Norway

Warnings: M-rated contents, and language. Some stuff are made-up, plots based on Grecian myths. This story is purely fiction.

**Chapter Eleven: Death**

It had been a rather strange day, Mathias had to admit.

First of all, in the morning before he went to school, he woke up from a strange dream he had, unusually hyped up with a lot of energy, probably because of the fact that he had gotten a normal eight hours sleep he hadn't get for _years_.

He had wondered why last night he wasn't waking up into the noise of his dads getting all chummy and mushy with each other, nor did he hear the sounds of constant creaking from the bedroom next to his that kept him awake until really late in the night everyday. His more feminine dad told him they were too tired from working late last night and instantly fell asleep the moment they lied on the bed. Well, whatever the reason was, Mathias did enjoy this rare occasion of good night sleep.

Second, though it was a good thing that his American best friend finally got someone after all those flings he had, but somehow hearing him change tastes from women to men was weird enough, though Mathias not one to comment to that fact, he only wanted Alfred to be happy with the guy he chose. Mathias wasn't the kind of guy who would go against gays, _heck_, he was raised by two! And he wasn't bothered by it, he was proud to be their son, even. He was actually looking forward to meet this 'Arty' who got his friend whipped.

And that came with the third strangeness. Today, right after his friend being forced-kissed by a girl who had a stubborn crush on him, then _there_ he was. A stranger with blonde hair and green eyes, standing a bit far from them while glaring at the American.

Mathias had felt something was odd about that guy. It wasn't like he was very, very handsome like the super models on TV, though he _was_ good-looking, but he emitted these… _superior_ feelings around him. He was covered in what seemed to be a platinum aura, dipped in charisma. Like he was out of this world. And how surprised he was as things unfolded, when he learned that strange guy was actually Alfred's 'Arty'.

This, by far, he felt was the strangest.

Mathias was no psychic, but since he was a child, he was able to see and feel the things others couldn't. Like when he was still living in the orphanage, he constantly dreamt about being held by two men who were complete strangers to him, and he dreamt of being their son (in which his childish mind didn't get why there was no mom in the family). Then a few months later, the strangers in his dreams really appeared one day, picked him out of the fourteen kids of his age, and they really became family. He told this to his new adoptive parents, but they only laughed and told him maybe it was fate that brought them together.

Fate?

He had dreamt other things, of different things and different people in different places and different situations. Though they only appeared on very rare occasions, none of it had ever come untrue. He dreamt the school kitchen exploded when he was in grade school, and it really exploded two weeks after he dreamt it, due to a gas leak, lucky there wasn't any victim since they were having a morning roll call.

He dreamt he played with an unfamiliar boy of his age on the school rooftop, that boy had blue eyes like the sky above them and sandy golden hair that resembled the sun, and the next day, he found Alfred was playing truant on the roof and met him for the very first time, and they had been inseparable as friends since. Most of what he dreamt had come true. But Mathias never told a soul about this, not even Alfred knew.

Okay, he might be a bit psychic, but it wasn't like he could see ghosts or experience flashes of people's past and future like the fraudsters on TV. No, he just _dreamt_ it. But he couldn't control it. Besides, those dreams were never about other people, they were always related to himself somehow.

Amongst other things, he did have a particular strong insight, and he was an excellent judge in characters. He only needed one look in the eye, and he'd know that person's personality, their likes and dislikes, whether they are good or bad.

He knew Alfred was a good kid who was just misled by people's expectation to him, and he disliked those so-called popular guys and girls who cared nothing but their outside appearance, but too stupid to notice how ugly they looked like in other people's eyes. He liked basketball, but he didn't like the team members or the cheerleaders. When he was nearby them, it was like he was being choked by thick, black smoke that lingered around the group. He didn't know what that smoke was, but it only circled around certain people, and Mathias could guess why.

When he looked at that Arty, he felt something he had never felt before. It was like he was seeing something - someone who was not from this world. He could see the air around him was clear, as clear as the mountain spring water. And he glowed a strong color of red and silver, both genuinely beautiful and divine, as well as frightening.

When he glared at Alfred, Mathias could see the red dominated the silver, swaying around like the movement of flame. It was fascinating to see, but then Mathias somehow realized, as the both of them walked away, that maybe that guy wasn't human.

Oh shit, what had Alfred gotten himself into this time?

As he walked down the empty hallway after having lunch with some of his other friends (the geeks), he couldn't help but to be curious. He had been waiting for Alfred at the cafeteria, but the goofy blonde never came, so he figured he'd look for him. "Have you seen Alfred?" He'd stop occasionally on his way and ask the students who happened to be around.

But they looked at him in puzzle, glanced at their friend and told him the same thing."Haven't seen him since lunch bell." They confessed.

So, where the hell was that clumsy kid? For some reasons, he felt restless. But that was not because he had no idea of Alfred's whereabout, but since the moment he met Arthur, he had been feeling these strange feelings of discomfort. Like something bad would happen.

"Hey, Matt! Why the long face? What's wrong?" A bespectacled red-head greeted him, patting him on his back.

"Oh, it's you Greg." Mathias forced a smile, a hand leaning to the iron bar, he was just thinking to go down the stairs and look for his best friend outside.

Greg tilted his head and furrowed his eyebrows slightly. "You look pale, Matt. Are you alright?"

"Hmm? Yeah, I'm fine. Just… eat too much burgers, is all." The Dane laughed, although it was just another forced action, scratching the back of his head.

"Burgers aren't healthy, Matt. I told you you should eat proper meals three times a day, you're an athlete! You need well-balanced diet to maximize your performance." The top-grade student said, fixing his glasses with a nudge of his finger.

Mathias chuckled, more sincerely this time. Talking to someone else really helped him relax. "Haha, you talk like the coach, Greg. Ya know I can't stand carrots."

"Why, I never! Carrots are the source of vitamins that are good for the eyes, Mathias! It is very important that you eat it, so your eyes will be in the perfect condition in the next game! We're supporting you, so you'd better eat some carrots!" He fussed, his glasses bounced up and down on top of his nose as he swung his arms.

The Dane was still laughing joyfully, amused by his friend's enthusiasm. "Yeah, I know, I know. Thanks, Greg. You guys are the best." He said as he took a step down.

Mathias didn't see a group of kids was rushing up the stairs from below him, he could only hear their yells that told each other they would be late for the music practice at the third floor. They bumped into Mathias' shoulder rather harshly. The first three wasn't a big deal for Mathias, but when more of their bigger ones bumped into him with much strength and vigor, Mathias felt his hand slipped away from the iron handle and the sole of his shoe stepped onto a small puddle of spilt milk, tumbling. He could hear some people screamed as he lost his balance and his body leaned forward, flying head first.

It was like a slow motion. He wasn't aware that he was falling down, his eyes widened as he saw the shocked faces of people who were staring at him from the lower floor, gaping their mouths. But then he spotted one person who looked completely calm and unsurprised, his cold, deep brown eyes were looking at him mercilessly. Mathias' eyes grew even wider when he looked at the completely black suit he wore, from head to toe. Then he remembered the strange dream he had last night, but was forgotten for a moment.

He dreamt of being embraced by a black crow, while sinking into a river of darkness.

And that was the last thing he remembered, before his head hit the edge of the stair hard, then he rolled around, his back hitting the hard porcelain, then it was his head again, then it was his knees, then his stomach. He rolled until he fell on his stomach, feeling the most horrible headache he had ever experienced, it burned and bit into his scalp like sharp daggers. He could feel something warm spilt out of that most painful spot. He wanted to scream or do something, but his whole body hurt and wouldn't move.

He could hear gasps, screams, shouts of his name, and desperate calls for a help or ambulance. His vision was blurry, he could see incomprehensible images and silhouettes gathered around him, and he could hear voices of people, but he could hardly comprehend what they were saying. His vision was suddenly clear, but then blur again, then clear. He blinked his eyes several times, and when his vision cleared again he saw a pair of black shoes standing right in front of his eyes.

"…a soul loved by the gods." He heard an arrogant voice said in whisper. "One who is given the ability to foresee the future and peek into one's past. You're a human who bears a special soul, much more special than the others."

The knees lowered and folded, the person was crouching. The Dane couldn't see his face very well, but that person was wearing black outfit. Was it the angel of death?

"Human, you're destined to die today, as your fate wrote for you. Rest assured, however, for a soul loved by the gods such as the one you posses, your soul will rise to the heavens. Do you accept your fate?"

_Die? Am I going to die?_ Mathias wordlessly thought, moving his lips but no voice escaped them.

"Yes you are. It's already been written a long time ago. You've no choice but to embrace your fate."

So he was going to die.

That was a shame.

He was still eighteen, a bit too young to die, Mathias thought. He hadn't even meet the love of his life yet. He would like to meet a quiet, nice girl who loved to take park strolls in the evening, or maybe she liked to spend her time in the library, reading lots of books.

Besides, what should he tell to his parents if he were to die so young? His dad hadn't tell the whole story about their passionate love story yet, he had only heard it 'til chapter 432, and it was still about them, about to run away to Florida from his feminine dad's forced arranged marriage. And it was still a long way until they met Mathias, or so they told him.

Oh, and he wanted to enter the NBA too, it had been his dream, or at least he wanted to win the summer game next year, since they lost in the finals. It had been a close defeat, only one point apart… and he had yet to talk to Alfred's new guy, he would like to know what kind of person he was, since they haven't properly meet yet (though he had an impression he was the jealous type), Mathias was looking forward to it.

And Alfred said he would crash at his place this Friday, he had promised he'd stay away while Alfred and his parents started 'the talk', but now he felt kind of curious too. He would like to hear it, maybe possibly vomiting later. He should know, since he did when his parents attempted to have 'the talk' with Mathias as soon as he turned seventeen. Because his parents explained to him about how _two guys_ would do it.

Now that he remembered, that part was pretty funny.

"_Matt!_"

Huh? Was he hallucinating? He though he heard Alfred's voice. Then he felt his body was being turned and lifted, and he saw a blur of golden in the midst of other colors, dominating his vision. He recognized that color anywhere. There was only one person with such pretty natural blonde hair. But he couldn't see Alfred's face very well, although he had blinked his eyes several times to clear it.

He felt light taps on his right cheek. "Matt! Matt! Don't die on me, man! Hang on! Hang on, they'll come with help! Just hang on, okay?"

"Oh my God, Mathias! Somebody, call the ambulance!" And there was Greg's voice, sounding a lot more frantic than usual. How odd, he never knew Greg could panic like that. He could hear the crowd's noises too.

"Let me see! …shit, I can't feel the pulse! We gotta stop the bleeding! Give me handkerchief or something! Quick!"

"Matt? Can you hear me? Matt! Stay awake, Matt! Don't do this to me, man! _Please_!"

Alfred's voice as well as the others' sounded so distant. But he could still comprehend their words, his names being called over and over again like a mantra, laced in worry and panic. Mathias could hear them all clearly. So clearly, piercing through his ears then rushing into his heart, he felt his pain decreasing significantly at each call of his name. His friends... he could feel them nearby.

…

_No_.

…_I..._

The black angel of death straightened his legs, standing up. Mathias could hardly breathe, the pain dulling slowly as his vision wavered to darkness.

"Mathias Kholer. Age 18. Your special soul will be claimed by the heavens."

_I… _

"Prepare yourself, Mathias Kholer."

_I don't want to die yet._

* * *

"Alfred?"

Arthur saw his spouse was on the floor, holding the motionless body of a teenager in his arms by the ends of the stairs, a pack of crowd surrounded the two.

Although obviously reluctant, Arthur lunged into the tight mass. "Excuse me - …please excuse me - would you mind? - pardon me... - … … …. … … … … - …. …. …. … … - _Bloody_, sod off you damn teenage gits! Make a _freaking_' way!" He impatiently shouted, swaying a fist in the air.

Though the result was unexpectedly fantastic, the crowd obediently sidestepped and made a narrow path for him. Arthur raised his eyebrows at their curious and worried stares, quickly glancing at the white robe he was wearing, the one he snatched randomly from the health care since his sweater was a bit dirty on the back side. And it turned out a stethoscope was brought along in the breast pocket.

So they thought he was the doctor. That was incredibly convenient.

But the satisfied feeling quickly went down the drain when he saw the grim look on Alfred's face, and the sickly pale face of the boy he was holding in his arms. Turquoise eyes widened when they spotted blood spilling out of a gaping wound on the boy's head, soaking his blonde hair and making a small pool below his limp figure.

"What the - " He gasped, rushing towards Alfred, when he saw a brunette was sitting not faraway from the two teenagers, a shocked look on his face.

"Hermes?" Arthur exclaimed, then the said god turned his head.

"B-big brother Ares!" He choked out in a high-pitched voice, his face was oddly pale.

But that was the least of his worries, if Hermes was here, then he could guess what happened. Arthur turned to his spouse and crouched before the boy, examining him. "What happened to him?" Arthur asked quickly, glancing at a bespectacled red head who was on Mathias' left.

"H-he fell down the stairs, sir." He stuttered in panic, glancing nervously at Mathias. "He fell h-headfirst. I-I've never heard s-such horrible sound before! Oh my God, please save him, doctor!"

So his head was injured from falling down the stairs headfirst, probably cracking his skull by the looks of it. Arthur bit down on his lower lip. He did have the basic medicinal knowledge for wars, but he didn't know if it came to complicated internal injuries, especially one as fragile as the head. He quickly took his wrist and checked if there was a pulse, holding his breath as he pressed two digits onto the thin skin of his wrist. He waited for ten seconds, but he felt nothing. There was no pulse. Or it might be too weak for him to feel.

_Shit_. Arthur quickly checked his breathing, thrusting the digits in front of his nostrils. He could feel air blowing out weakly, too weak. It was weak and uneven. And his body grew hotter, probably from the pain of the injury. His brain might be suffering shock from the fall, and giving random commands to the rest of his body function.

The bleeding hadn't stop either, the yellow handkerchief being used to hold it had been soaked red. It was hard when Alfred stared at him pleadingly, Arthur couldn't bear to see him. His friend was still alive, but at this rate, it was only a matter of time before he stopped breathing altogether.

And the fact that his body was gradually becoming cold, the way his eyes were blank and unfocused, and that Arthur couldn't feel the aura of a living entity within the body, was a sign that his soul had been taken. Only his physical body that was still alive, but a body without a soul was like a lifeless doll. If he survived this, he would still live, but he wouldn't be able to wake up again. But with such heavy injuries, his body would stop functioning soon.

This kid would die.

Die?

_Hermes!_

Arthur sharply turned half-way around to the younger god, who seemed startled at the sudden movement. He stood up and approached the brunette, quickly grabbing his shoulders. "Are you taking this boy's soul?" He asked in a demanding tone. Hermes only stared up at him with wide eyes.

"Is that why you're here? Answer me, Hermes!" Ares exclaimed, shaking his shoulders a bit.

Hermes nodded, feeling a bit frightened. "Y-yes, that's right. I came for this boy's soul. He's supposed to die today."

"Cancel it! Give his soul back, right now!" The God of War demanded, glaring threateningly at the younger god.

"W-what? I can't! It's my duty! I can't abandon my duty!" Hermes shouted, suddenly rebellious.

"I don't care - I'll beg father later, now give him back his soul so he can recover!"

"I can't!"

"Of course you can. You have the soul!"

Hermes gritted his teeth. "That's why I said _I can't _give it back to you. Because I don't have the soul!"

Arthur was dumbfounded.

"…What did you say?" He asked, as if he had heard wrong.

Hermes slapped his brother's hands off of his shoulders, adjusting his suit. "I lost the damn bastard's soul, okay? I don't know how. I was just trying to extract his soul just the way I always do, but I couldn't. Something went wrong, I don't know what that was. When I tried to reap his soul, there was this light came out of his body, then it suddenly disappeared. I was surprised and fell down, then _you_ came." He blurted out, glaring at the paling body.

"Fuck," Arthur cursed under his breath, a hand ran through blonde strands. Then he glanced at Alfred, who looked like he was about to cry as he held his friend close to his chest, clenching his eyes shut. He could spot tears gathering at the corners of his eyes.

Arthur didn't like it. Not at all. That sad face didn't suit Alfred at all, that blonde was supposedly goofy and cheerful and stupid. Not sad. Then he suddenly remembered he still had Apollo's miraculous medicines stored away in his kitchen cupboard. The potions Apollo, the God of Medicine, Healing and Plague, made could heal the most vile injuries within seconds. If he could get his hands on those in time…

Hermes let out a surprised yelp when Ares suddenly grabbed onto his wrist. "We're going." That was all the older god stated, before pulling him across the crowd.

"Where are we going?" Hermes had asked, puzzled.

"Save the body first, then look for the soul later." Arthur promptly answered. "Now, give me a pair of those winged sandals of yours."

* * *

Mathias woke up with the oddest feeling of nausea swirling circles inside his stomach. He felt dizzy and oddly lethargic, as he tried to move, groaning in process. He felt his back sore from lying down on a hard, rocky surface of the floor, feeling his limbs were stiff and weak. He brought his body to sit, eyes still closed. He yawned widely, scratching the suddenly itchy temples. Then his hand suddenly stopped. Wait, wasn't he supposed to have cracked his skull? Why didn't he feel any pain at all? He snapped his eyes opened, widening them a second later.

He wasn't in school anymore, that was for sure. Because his school didn't have such eerie-looking cave-like walls and rocky floors. He looked around and found himself sitting in the middle of a huge empty room of a cave, surrounded by rough walls and sharp-edged stones, spikes hanging from the ceilings, swaying dangerously.

And there were six paths that seemed to lead to different directions, all he could see was the unknown darkness of the corridors beyond said paths. And those corridors made eerie, screeching noises that was probably caused by the wind, but still sent shivers down Mathias' spines.

He blinked.

Then he pinched his cheek.

"It hurts." He mumbled to himself, rubbing his pinched cheek. "So I'm not dreaming. I thought I was having a nightmare or somethin'."

He threw his gaze about, before settling at his own lap.

"If I'm not dreaming…" He uttered, trying to comprehend the situation he was in.

"Then where am I?"

The good ol' nightmare sounded much more appealing right now.

* * *

TBC


	12. Underworld

A/N: …after all those hectic days like I was being chased by a rabies dog (a.k.a. deadlines for my assignments), FINALLY, weekend! OH GOD, I LOVE WEEKENDS. I thought I was going _insane_! I wrote this chapter just so I can FINALLY relax that at least I've updated one story this week. Last week I was too busy I couldn't write a thing at all. TT-TT But I was cheered by the fact that I could still draw since I've gotten myself a DeviantArt account! :D Updated news about American Wife's Doujinshi and my other doujin projects, including a still-developing fan-made game will be posted there. The link is on my profile page (woot! Met several friends from FF, really glad to meet and chat with them up there too) :D

August… I'm waiting for you with excruciating impatience! ;A;

**Rating**: M for language and suggestive themes.

**Main Pairing: **USxUK

**Side pairings:** GiriPan, RoChu, FraNada, GerIta, SpaiRoma, DenNor, SweFin, and others.

**Ares**-Arthur/England

**Heracles**/Hercules-Heracles/Greece

**Zeus**-Francis/France

**Apollo**-Vash/Switzerland

**Artemis**-Lili/Liechtenstein

**Athena**-Elizaveta/Hungary

**Dionysus**-Feliciano/N. Italy

**Demeter**-Katja/Ukraine

**Poseidon**-Ivan/Russia

**Hermes**-Lovino/S. Italy

**Hephaestus**-Berwald/Sweden

**Hestia**-Natalia/Belarus

**Hades**-Lukas/Norway

Warnings: M-rated contents, and language. Some stuff are made-up, plots based on Grecian myths. This story is purely fiction.

**Chapter Twelve: Underworld**

This was not good.

That statement crossed his mind over and over again, as Mathias panted slightly, wiping the drops of sweat that gathered on his sweaty temples. He hung his head, his chest heaving up and down. He had a hand clutched at the rather damp, rough surface of the cave wall to support his tired, bent back and knees, trying to catch up his laboring breaths. His eyes were shut, white steam came out of his parted lips at each gasp of air he took and blew out.

Slowly, he opened his eyes and lifted his chin. What he saw was the exact same room he had waked himself into God knew how many hours ago. The room with exact height and width, the same numbers of spiky stalactites that hung dangerously fragile in the ceilings, the same numbers of stalagmites nearby the cave walls, the same numbers of unknown, hollow corridors, as well as the same eerie noises it made. He had somehow managed to get back there _again_, even though he had tried to search for an exit - or at least get a gist of where he was.

But not only he had gotten absolutely nothing about his own whereabouts after walking around for approximately hours - he couldn't tell the flow of time there - he had managed to return to the starting point again, for the fourth time in a row after four attempts he had made by venturing four different corridors but always ended up in the same place, in which meant his exhaustion and struggles had come in vain. He was not getting anywhere at all. Mathias let out a frustrated growl, as he panted, glaring holes at the silent, hollow cave and its eerie corridors. He bit his lower lip and shivered at the increasingly freezing, damp air seemingly came from those corridors.

Where in the world was he?

This was definitely not a dream, but surely a nightmare turned reality. He did not know how and why he get in such a place, he didn't even remember how he ended up there! The dane sighed exasperatedly. He felt so exhausted and irritated and anxious and angry, even a bit scared. He had absolutely no idea where he was, and after all that searching hinted nothing about it. He neither found an exit, nor an entrance.

He couldn't even find sunlight anywhere, even the tiniest hole that let the warm sunlight peek inside, although it was supposedly still daytime. Nothing. Only the spine-chilling darkness and the dim light those strange mosses that grew all over the cave walls emitted. Otherwise, it was like some endless maze-like corridors that led him into the same place all over again. Only this place was completely shut out from the outside world, like an underground bunker without any escape route. Completely shut in.

Mathias had come to a horrible conclusion that he might have been trapped within this godforsaken place.

And he was not calm about it.

The dane gritted his teeth, straightening his bent knees and back. "Like hell I'm gonna be trapped here any longer."

This was not funny. There was no way he would be trapped there alone without any sustenance or a compass, even if it was just a bad joke his teammates might've been trying to pull on him. If that was the case, although Mathias didn't know why they did this to him, but they had gone too far with their jokes. This was no longer funny if it was a matter of life and death, something for some reasons, or for the lack of maturity or intelligence in his teammates' minds, that they didn't seem to know when to quit.

Really, how many times had Mathias refused to join in their 'little games' and ended up saving another poor kid who was locked inside a locker, or when they decided it would be 'funny' to leave some oblivious junior underclassmen deep within the forest during the summer camps? How many times he and Alfred had to sneak in the middle of the night with only flashlights in hands, trying to look for those kids before they froze to death? No matter how much he tried to stop them, they never stopped. And now, Mathias might be the next target, perhaps because he was always disagreeable to them.

If that was the case, they should think of a better plan.

Although he had quit for the basketball team, he was once an active member of the Diverventure club, a club where dare-devils gathered together to venture into the wildest forests and wildernesses, hike the tallest, riskiest mountains, and canoe down the most ferocious rivers. He had been a member since a young age of twelve, together with his more masculine dad who was the founder of that club. Since he was young, his dad had taught and trained him how to survive in the nature like a true Viking (for his dad was a Scandinavian Vikings-fanatic), as well as the knowledge needed to survive.

Once, when he was fourteen, Mathias got into an accident that had caused him and his dad to split from the rest of the group in an expedition. Both of them got lost within the thick rainforest of Sumatra, without even having a compass or food in hand. They survived by hunting down rabbits and eating edible plants and roots before the team found them a month later (his more feminine dad was there too, crying his eyes out while embracing both of them tightly).

In those days, his dad had thought him a lot of important things no school could teach him, that if he ever got lost again in a forest but alone at that time, he should always be calm and keep his head held high and alert for the things that would come for him. Yeah, this was not the time to be pessimistic. He had to use his brain and think of a way to get the hell away from here.

Mathias walked further into the big, empty room, throwing his gaze around and about. He gazed at the entrances of the four corridors where he had left some arrow signs made of the rubbles on the cave floor, in which he realized there a sign he arranged himself at his feet, and a letter '1' made of the rubbles next to it. He glanced at the entrance of the fourth corridor he entered just a while ago and the number he added beside it, noting that it led to the first corridor he had entered.

There were several forks along the first corridor, in which he had also tried each of them, and all led to either the fourth corridor or the third. The second corridor, the forks led to either the first corridor or the fourth. The third corridor's forks led to either the first or the second while one way only went around in a circle, while the fourth led to first or the second. So, he concluded those corridors were indeed, a maze.

And they strangely seemed designed to confuse people who just might not have enough composure or mental strength that they might lose their calm and go on rampage within the suffocating darkness and the strange, chilling wind that made eerie noises along the corridors, seemingly whispering something to the ears and causing them to look behind, where no one was there. And the harsh, endless dark mazes only increased paranoia and anxiety. Ordinary people would lose their sanity after a while, possibly died from starvation or accidentally killed themselves. The fact that Mathias saw the remaining of bones and skulls along the dim paths only proved that theory was right.

Mathias gulped.

No, he mustn't think so pessimistically.

But he couldn't help but to think he was being thrown into such a wrong, wrong place. Not to mention the strange and frightening aura he felt lingering in the thin air that the stank of damp, rotting flesh. He could hardly think anyone would survive this nightmare embodiment. It was unlikely to think anyone could live in such a place for long. And… and what if the two remaining corridors proved that there was no exit after all? That he would be trapped there to starve to death, or lose his sanity and die in the darkness like the rest of the skeletons he found?

A drop of cold sweat trickled down his temples, and he clenched his fists.

"There's only one way to find out."

He took a step forward and another, and he eventually made a beeline towards the two corridors he hadn't venture in yet. The dark gaping entrances were next to each other, while Mathias stood in between them, several feet away. He had to choose, the left or the right. Mathias could hear his heart beating loudly in his ears and sweat soak his back. He felt a bit scared despite his determination. But he had to choose and embrace whatever fate it would bring him bravely, just like what his dad taught him. His adoptive parents didn't raise him to be a coward.

Swallowing the spit that gathered at the back of his throat, Mathias turned right.

He shivered when a chilling, ghostly-sounded breeze went past below his ears as he stepped into yet another darkness. This time, there weren't any dim-lighted mosses to let him see a gist of what was in front of him, and a rather thick, cold mist had replaced the dim space, so Mathias trailed his hand along the damp, spiky cave walls and walked slowly in the blind murkiness. There was nothing but uncomfortable silence and occasional unearthly whispers of the wind, also the freezing mist that seemed to get thicker and colder at each step he took.

Mathias could feel his body shaking and shuddering under the deathly, sinister air, all the more because his clothes had became slightly soaked from the dampness of the cave air. There was nothing that protected him from the bone-chilling temperature. He stopped for a while after about ten minutes of walking to breathe in, blowing white steam as he breathed out. He lifted his chin and glanced over his shoulders while turning his body half-way around, spotting a very small source of light at the end of the tunnel.

Compared to this creepy darkness, he would rather go back there, where at least he could see his own hands right before his eyes. He even considered to go back. But he knew that would accomplish nothing. If he did return, he could only hope for something that probably wouldn't come.

So Mathias gritted his teeth and continued onward.

After a couple more minutes of walking blindly, it was unexpected that he found no fork so far, unlike the other tunnels he had been before that had many forks that eventually led to the same place all over again. It was only a straight, sometimes crooked way so far. But the mist had certainly thickened, and it rendered him a bit hard to breathe, as it stank damper and colder than before. He began panting slightly. The darkness certainly had something to do with the sudden suffocating feeling he got, and his heart rate increased wildly, as if trying to get out of its ribcage.

In the darkness he could see nothing. He didn't know what was in front of him but the threads of fog. He could only feel the cold air that bit into his skin, and the rough texture of the cave walls and floors. He could hear nothing but the sounds of his own breathing and the wind that seemed to whisper something to him, sometimes sounded like a soft laughter, sometimes a growl or an eerie howl.

And he was alone. Alone to fend for himself. When he looked over his shoulders, no light existed anymore. Darkness, only the darkness. The suffocatingly cold, sinister darkness. If he had been a lesser man, Mathias was sure he would've gone mad, if he hadn't already.

He tried to hard to keep his mind calm, to be level-headed, as he went on, dragging his hand across the rocky walls. But that was very, very difficult to maintain. He was only a kid. A teenager, not an experienced, infamous adventurer like his dad, who had survived many things, including the wars in the Middle East. He was young and inexperienced. He was only Mathias, not a superhero extraordinaire like the ones he saw on Alfred's collection of comics. He had been lost in the forests several times before, but never within a cave. He could think of ways to run away from predators or fight them if absolutely necessary, but he had no idea how to fight things he could not even touch, like the wind, the darkness, or the cold air.

Mathias admitted he felt scared.

After a while, he encountered some forks, deciding to go left this time. He encountered a couple more, then decided to try different paths. But so far, he found nothing worth mentioning. There was always the identical-looking tunnels, the same cave walls, the same ghostly fog, the coldness, the darkness, he couldn't tell them apart at all. He couldn't tell where he was. He couldn't tell how many hours had it been since he had entered the hole. But he assumed a mere couple of minutes would seem like forever in such a place.

He stopped on his track and looked back into the dark passageway, and saw it was too late to go back now. Mathias didn't remember the way back, nor did he put some signs. He was too engrossed in his anxiety and paranoia to be able to think straight. Mathias cursed under his breaths, clamping his eyes shut. How could he be so stupid? He had forgotten to put the signs on, when it was one of the basics of survival his dad taught him!

Always put signs when you were lost, so you could go back to your safe point. Always. And he chose to look for the exit by himself when he knew he was supposed to wait in the same place, so the search team could find him faster, instead of going from one place to another. Although it was a long shot, Mathias could try it, who knew someone would come and get him if he had stayed in that room. Dammit! He felt so stupid!

"AAAAH! DAMMIT!" He growled out in frustration, his voice echoed throughout the corridor. Clutching at blonde bangs and shutting his eyes, Mathias hid his face behind a big hand and hung his head.

What should he do now? He had ran out of ideas and the little patience he had left. He knew he was getting nowhere. Would he find a way out or would he die in this deserted place? He didn't know, he knew nothing of his own future. He hadn't see this coming at all. So much for a psychic he was, Mathias sarcastically thought, leaning his back against the stony wall.

…or so he thought it was.

Instead of landing against a slimy, solid rock, instead he found his back leaning against a none existent wall he had thought was there in the blind darkness. In his surprise, Mathias stumbled backwards, losing his balance, then soon one of his heels slipped on a slimy edge of the rocky floor, down into a hole he hadn't expect to be there. Before he could fall into the strange abyss, Mathias quickly grabbed a hold on the edge in which he slipped onto, clutching at it desperately with his left hand.

He glanced down at pit, petrified when he saw nothing but another darkness beneath him. "Shit…" He mumbled, turning his gaze up, trying to hold on to his only lifeline. "Nngh!" Mathias tried to get himself back up, his right hand reached for the edge, but quickly slipped away from the slime that seemed to cover the rest of the space but the one he had his left hand on.

But it wasn't strong enough to support Mathias weigh, as he felt his fingers were getting numb and shaky from trying to hold on for too long. The Dane tried to keep his hold as long as he could, but it was in vain when a finger began sliding away, soon followed by another. Mathias was horrified, only two fingers wouldn't be able to hold his weigh for another second! And he was right.

Soon, his hand couldn't take it anymore and Mathias clenched his eyes as he fell, wanting to scream but he couldn't seem to bring it out. Strong wind blew at him from behind as gravity took control of his body, his heart beat loudly in his ears and he silently prayed, waiting with tightly shut eyes for the moment he would crash against the bottom of the pit and most likely die.

A moment later, his body did reach the end of the hole, but to his surprise, he fell head first and _sank _into a cold wave of what he could only recognized as water, his entire body being surrounded by wet coldness. Mathias snapped his eyes wide opened, slightly gaping his mouth in response. Water soon entered his parted lips and he closed them immediately before it filled his lungs. His widened eyes took the sight of murky dark indigo color and deep green that went to a brighter color when he glanced up. Then he held his breath.

He must've fallen into a lake or something! What luck he had today, Mathias both thanked and cursed, starting to spread his arms and legs wide and move them, swimming towards the source of light, probably the surface. "_Phwaah_!" Mathias let out a relieved shout when he reached the surface, taking in as much air as he could. It was a good thing that he could swim well, despite the depth of the lake. After a few seconds of gasping for air, his ears caught the sounds of screaming.

He spontaneously turned his head towards the source of the screams, feeling his face and ears growing hot when he spotted six very beautiful, _very_ naked women at the shore, trying to cover their beautiful, plump breasts from Mathias' curious eyes with towels. He felt his cheeks grew even hotter, but it was rather _hard_ for him not to look at them, and the fact that he found other people beside himself, after being isolated alone for hours, he couldn't help but to feel happy and want to talk with them.

But this was not the perfect opportunity to have a chat, it seemed.

"I-I'm so s-sorry! I-I was just - just…" He couldn't find the right word, staring at the murky reflection beneath him while trying to keep floating.

Oh crap, before he was just a foot away from being a madman, now he was the peeping tom.

The women didn't seem to believe nor did they hear him, as they've scooted away from the water and disappeared beyond the cave wall in incredible speed, before Mathias could say anything else, leaving the Dane boy with a stoned outstretched hand alone in the middle of the lake.

He sighed.

But he was still alive, and there were other people beside him, so he could ask about the exit to them. …once he had cleared the misunderstanding. It was good enough, Mathias looked at the bright side, looking up at the huge, gaping whole on the ceiling, then he looked at the dim surface of the water. It was the first time he had seen a real underground lake in a cave. He'd heard about it plenty of times a lot, but this was the first time he saw and thrown into one. And in such a weird way too. What an experience.

Then he sneezed.

Finally realizing how freezing the water and how wet he was, Mathias thought he had better swim to the shore and dry himself before he caught a cold. Being able to stay alive and meet other people brought a great relief to his heart and mind, and he felt his exhaustion had flown away somewhere, replaced by a new vigor. The Dane swam leisurely towards the shore, feeling the water depth became shallower and shallower, until he could walk in the water as it now was at level with his waist.

But as he was about to reach the shore, he halted his legs when his eyes took the sight of one of those beautiful chicks earlier, a short-haired blonde beauty with dim violet eyes was leaning comfortably against a large stone with smooth surface only ten feet on his left, her body from chest down was still within the murky water, preventing Mathias from seeing _anything_ at all (much to his disappointment). She seemed unfazed by his appearance, unlike the other five chicks. She was really cute, he noted.

Her unblemished skin was pale like the snow and seemed to sparkle although the cave room was dim. Her composed face was expressionless, making her appearance seem like an expensive porcelain doll. She was beautiful, but cute. Mathias couldn't decide which. Plus, she looked very intelligent and quiet. The type of girl Mathias would take an interest in the first sight. Looked like she realized he was staring, as those unreadable violet eyes suddenly turned to him, making Mathias feel awkward.

"Did my lecherous brother send you here too?"

…wait, why did her voice sounded so deep? And spoken with such formal, mature choice of words that seemed to show wisdom.

His question was answered when the chick suddenly rose up from the water to stand up, and the Dane's eyes went wide and he was disappointed when he saw that _her_ chest was as flat as a board. And… and when his eyes trailed slightly down, _that_ dangly _thing_ was there. A guy. So that was why he didn't freak out like the rest of the chicks who got actually got breasts. Mathias cursed mentally, eying at the smaller guy up and down.

…but damn, was that guy very cute for _a guy_. He possessed a slim, slender body of a late bloomer who didn't seem to have hit puberty yet and very smooth pale skin. Mathias couldn't recall any girl he met had such a beautiful skin. Though when he looked closely, that guy's features did have sharp masculine characteristics, but softer than average guys. He was the perfect example of a pretty boy. And Mathias had thought that Bieber kid looked prettier than most girls. This guy apparently fell to the same category.

"…really, they were really noisy." The pretty blonde guy spoke again, pulling him from his thoughts. The smaller boy took a towel from the huge stone and wrapped it around his waist.

A sigh, then he glanced tiredly at where those chicks disappeared. "I hate noisy nymphs, I told him that. And yet he sent them here, saying he wanted to 'cheer' me up. In the end he sent me nothing but a pack of bored, hungry whores who kept begging me to fuck them every single day. It is getting quite annoying. I owe you one, young man. I really need some time away from them." He turned to Mathias again, wearing a doll-like expression and monotone voice as he spoke.

"S-sure. No problem…" Mathias scratched the back of his head. Nymphs? Did he mean those girls? He asked wordlessly, wondering why the guy would want to throw away a man's dream so willingly.

The smaller man looked at him oddly, suddenly getting close to him, staring up and down at him as if assessing. Mathias could only stare in confusion at the strange, sudden gesture.

"I thought you were a male nymph my idiot brother sent to me." He suddenly said, seemingly curious but amused in the same time. "But it looks like I am mistaken. Have you gotten lost here, young soul?"

Mathias raised a fine brow. _Young soul?_ "Well, I think I'm lost. I don't know how I got here in the first place, and I don't know how to get out, I thought my teammates got something to do with it - oh!" He suddenly remembered. "Oh yeah, can I ask where the exit is? I think it's getting late, and my dad will get mad if I don't go home for dinner, he said he's trying this new recipe and he'll _cut_ my allowance if I don't get home on time for taste-testing…"

The smaller blonde tilted his head. "What are you talking about? You cannot return to the world of the living, boy. For you have become an inhabitant of the Underworld."

Mathias paused.

"…oookay…" He laughed softly. "Okay, I love jokes as much as you are, kiddo, but you gotta learn to read the situation. Underworld or not, I have to go home _quick_ or my dad - "

"What I meant is that you're already dead, young human." The pretty boy uttered, with a serious expression that clearly declared that he _did not _joke. "This place is the outskirt of the Underworld capital city, in the world of the dead. And no living being could enter the Underworld, you being here means that your soul has detached from your physical body and sent to, what do you humans call it? Ah, the afterworld. It is a world where you will live after you died." He finished in the same monotonous voice.

Mathias was about to say something to deny the strange kid's ridiculous statements, but it suddenly came down to him, that exactly before he found himself waking to a completely unfamiliar place, he was supposedly still in the school, that he fell down the stairs and hit his head hard enough to bleed. He remembered it was very painful, like he had cracked his skull or something. And he remembered his friends and schoolmates gathered around him, making a fuss over him, Alfred and Greg and…

His eyes went wide.

…and the angel of death.

A hand quickly went up to the spot on his head where the injury was supposed to be, but his head was completely fine. There was no hole, no blood, no… pain. How could he recover so fast and not wake up in a hospital bed instead of a cave floor? And he was sure that painful experience was no dream, it wasn't an imagination either. He was sure it was real. But it didn't make any sense at all! …or did it?

The angel of death said it was his 'fate' to die in that moment. And he told him he couldn't escape it. And the first thing he remembered right after he blacked out, was him waking up alone in a deserted, godforsaken place. With no trace of injuries at all. Then… then was he… was he really… dead?

Mathias gulped.

"No… way…" He whispered in disbelief, wide eyes staring blankly at his own hands. "Am I... dead…? B-but I…"

"Death is something humans could not escape no matter what they do." The boy suddenly said, looking absently into the lake. "Humans born, age, and die. It's a cycle of life. It makes no different whether they die sooner or later, so why not sooner? Humans always say living is hard, many prefer death and committed suicide. The only thing matters is whether they can enter the heaven, or be thrown in the depths of hell. And you…" He glanced at Mathias again with those deep purple eyes that seemed to reflect mystery and darkness.

"You should rejoice. Your soul is loved by the gods. You will join them in the heaven." He uttered.

Mathias was dumbfounded. "The angel of death… said that too." He mumbled softly. "But I don't get it. What's so special about me? I… I don't want to die. Not right _now_. I think I'm too young to die. I still have so many things I want to do. I still want to see my friends, I want to talk with them, laugh with them, study with them, play basket with them. I…" He bit his lower lip.

_I want to live._

The boy tilted his head as if he didn't really understand what Mathias was talking about. "…is it not enough for you to go to heaven? Humans truly are greedy creatures." He uttered, rubbing his chin in thought.

"Normally, I would not spare a glance to a lost soul and I would immediately send them to the styx to fend for themselves, but I owe you for driving away those noisy nymphs. And it seems by the looks of it, you do not posses the necessary items to pay for Charon's ferry." He nodded to himself, looking up at the taller blonde.

"Fine then. I shall invite you as my guest, to stay at my castle. That way, I will not upset the balance, since it is still within the Underworld, and it is up to me how I would treat my guests."

"Your castle?" The Dane was taken, blinking at the smaller blonde.

The boy nodded. "It's been a while since I have a guest over other than my nephew, I prefer to preserve my privacy. But my younger brother has ruined it when he sent those nymphs. But I've gotten bored of them, I'll send them back later. Now that you will stay at my castle, I won't be alone." Mathias thought he was just seeing things when he saw a gleam of childish excitement appeared but then disappeared within those seemingly depthless eyes.

"You live alone?" Mathias asked.

The boy's eyes suddenly darkened, then he averted his gaze. "…I used to live with my wife." He uttered almost in whisper, his gaze seemed forlorn. But then it turned to expressionless and unreadable again. "But she's no longer there." Then he went silent.

"O-oh…" Mathias scratched the back of his head, feeling awkward. Though a random question popped in his head about the guy's real age crossed his mind for a bit. He seemed so young.

"Sorry for that. So… umm… about that offer… are you sure that I can stay at your place?" He said, timidly glancing at the smaller blonde. He had thought it was a good deal, since he absolutely had no idea about this place. It would've been better to accept a kind offer from a local, he thoughtfully decided. Survival came first, he could mourn and gloom for his own death later.

Mathias felt a thump in his chest when he saw the blonde's expression suddenly brightened up (event though he still looked expressionless). "Of course. I owe you, young human. And I have always kept my promise." He uttered monotonously.

"Cool. But uh, my name's not 'human'. It's Mathias. Mathias Kholer. Call me Matt if you want. That's what my friends call me." He mentioned.

"Mathias Kholer? I will call you as such."

"Oh, and what's your name?"

The pretty blonde looked up at him, his violet eyes flashed a strange gleam.

"I am Hades, the Lord of the Underworld. Nice to meet you, Mathias Kholer."

* * *

TBC

* * *

A/N: Okaaayy… I know Disney and some other films make Hades looks like an extremely annoying, scheming, evil, and rather gay, asshole. But let's see the fun fact in the REAL mythology about Hades:

_Despite modern connotations of death as evil, Hades was actually more altruistically inclined in mythology. Hades was often portrayed as passive rather than evil; his role was often maintaining relative balance. Hades ruled the dead, assisted by others over whom he had complete authority. He strictly forbade his subjects to leave his domain and would become quite enraged when anyone tried to leave, or if someone tried to steal the souls from his realm. His wrath was equally terrible for anyone who tried to cheat death or otherwise crossed him, as Sysiphus and Pirithous found out to their sorrow._

Because of his dark and morbid personality, he was not especially liked by either the gods or the mortals. Feared and loathed, Hades embodied the inexorable finality of death: "Why do we loathe Hades more than any god, if not because he is so adamantine and unyielding?" The rhetorical question is Agamemnon's (Iliad ix). He was not, however, an evil god, for although he was stern, cruel, and unpitying, he was still just. Hades ruled the Underworld and therefore most often associated with death and was feared by men, but he was not Death itself — the actual embodiment of Death was Hades, god of the dead, was a fearsome figure to those still living; in no hurry to meet him, they were reticent to swear oaths in his name, and averted their faces when sacrificing to him. To many, simply to say the word "Hades" was frightening. So, euphemisms were pressed into use. Since precious minerals come from under the earth (i.e., the "underworld" ruled by Hades), he was considered to have control of these as well, and was referred to as Πλούτων (Plouton, related to the word for "wealth"), hence the Roman name Pluto. Sophocles explained referring to Hades as "the rich one" with these words: "the gloomy Hades enriches himself with our sighs and our tears." In addition, he was called Clymenus ("notorious"), Eubuleus ("well-guessing"), and Polydegmon ("who receives many"), all of them euphemisms for a name that was unsafe to pronounce, which evolved into epithets.

_Although he was an Olympian, he spent most of the time in his dark realm. Formidable in battle, he proved his ferocity in the famous Titanomachy, the battle of the Olympians versus the Titans, which established the rule of Zeus. Because of his dark and morbid personality, he was not especially liked by either the gods or the mortals. Feared and loathed, Hades embodied the inexorable finality of death: "Why do we loathe Hades more than any god, if not because he is so adamantine and unyielding?" The rhetorical question is Agamemnon's (Iliad ix). He was not, however, an evil god, for although he was stern, cruel, and unpitying, he was still just. Hades ruled the Underworld and therefore most often associated with death and was feared by men, but he was not Death itself — the actual embodiment of Death was Thanatos._

Taken from WikiPedia 'coz I'm lazy in explaining it myself. :P But basically, Hades is **not** evil. But because he is gloomy and quiet and he rules the Underworld, people assume him to be bad when he is just trying to do his job and be fair. Poor guy. :(

**Reviews will definitely speed up updates! :D**


	13. Another

A/N: AAAAAAAAA BIG BIG BIIIG SORRY to those who've been waiting for an update! D: But now that I'm back from my hiatus, I'll make up for the long absence with updates! Dx American Wife is (hopefully) still alive as long as there are people who read it :D

**Ares**-Arthur/England

**Heracles**/Hercules-Heracles/Greece

**Zeus**-Francis/France

**Apollo**-Vash/Switzerland

**Artemis**-Lili/Liechtenstein

**Athena**-Elizaveta/Hungary

**Dionysus**-Feliciano/N. Italy

**Demeter**-Katja/Ukraine

**Poseidon**-Ivan/Russia

**Hermes**-Lovino/S. Italy

**Hephaestus**-Berwald/Sweden

**Hestia**-Natalia/Belarus

**Hades**-Lukas/Norway

Warnings: M-rated contents, and language. Some stuff are made-up, plots based on Grecian myths. This story is purely fiction.

**Chapter Thirteen: Another**

When he was a kid, of course Mathias had imagined how hell would look like.

Fire, yeah, there was certainly fire. Red hot flame blazing high and wild as far as the eyes could see, in a sheer heat that would melt the flesh and the bones in a single touch. It was nothing but scorched, deathly land where no life grew. Water went dry the moment it touched the rocky ground, the steam itself burned in the searing air. A place where devils roamed around to punish sinners and evildoers.

Well, for most people, this might seem odd for a kid who grew up with gay parents. But being gay didn't mean that his parents didn't love God. His more feminine dad was a pretty devoted Christian, although the other one seemed to embrace a different religion - but the point was, they believed God exist.

They raised Mathias in a somewhat religious way, telling him stories of how the world was created, that humans bred from Adam and Eve, why they were banished from the heavens and the devil who tricked them into eating the forbidden fruit. And many other stories like that.

However - what was now before his eyes sure beat those stories.

He couldn't believe his own eyes. The moment they got out of the cave, standing high on top of a cliff, Mathias could finally see the place that was often mentioned in the stories his dad told him, the land after death, the underworld, hell. And he gaped at it with eyes opened wide, taking in the sight. It was a scenery of a whole city stretched afar until Mathias could see the mountainous horizons.

It was like a whole other world. A dried up land where the buildings were strange, out of the world he once knew. The 'city' was filled to the brim with twisted buildings made of sky-scrapping rocky peaks with yellow holes as windows. Some were low, while some were very high. They were like giant stalagmites. But… but what surprised him more was the fact that there were several separate buildings - ones that stayed afloat in the air, just like those in sic-fi movies. The Dane snapped from his previous thought and finally noticed the small rocks that were floating around him.

Without thinking, his hand caught one and then he pulled it to have a closer look. The rock in his hand was as dark as the cloudy night sky but it shone like rainbow on certain sides when he flipped it around. Yet another unique, surreal thing. When Mathias tried to release it by loosing his grip and lowering his hand, the stone didn't go down with him. Instead it rolled around in the air, but stayed fairly static right before his eyes.

_How come…?_ Mathias wondered, his gaze strayed to his own feet that were planted firmly on the ground. Then he looked up at those strange buildings again. There was gravity, but the rocks were flying. Both the big and the small ones.

Curious, he looked around again. The sky was ominous onyx graced in burning scarlet aurora that seemed to stretch long and far to the other side. The sky on the horizon seemed to emit red aura for some reasons. And there was a golden ring in the midst of the canvas, while the middle of the ring was as black as the sky. Was that the sun? But it looked as if it was blocked by something. The only visible light was the ring. But that could barely light the world beneath it. A black sun.

He flinched when he heard someone screamed in high pitch. It came from the direction of the city. Mathias suddenly felt a chill went up his spines.

"This is the Underworld. The home of those who have fallen from life, the nest of the dead and all evil spirits." Hades beside him said, he stared blankly at the scenery. He looked obviously proud, smiling meaningfully.

The Dane gulped nervously. He couldn't help but to feel a bit scared.

The shorter man seemed to notice this. "There is no need to fear anything, Mathias Kholer. As long as I am here, no one can lay a hand on you." He assured him, speaking in that monotone voice again.

Mathias tried to force a smile. "…s-sure, thanks." When he noticed Hades was staring at him, he asked, "Um, is there something on my face?"

"No." The god shook his head. His expression suddenly became thoughtful. "I was just thinking."

"About what?" The Dane asked again, tilting his head.

Hades was quiet for a short moment before he replied. "I was thinking that you don't fit well in the Underworld." He said, "But it would be a shame to give you up for the heavens. Your soul is very precious. It shines brightly in this gloomy darkness."

The Dane scratched the back of his head and smiled embarrassedly. "Isn't that a good thing?"

"No, not necessarily." Hades shook his head again. "Such a bright but defenseless soul will attract the attentions of the demons and evil spirits. You must be careful."

Color drained from the human boy's face. And his smile dropped reasonably.

"Ah, but fear not. No one in the Underworld dares to cross ways with me. It is completely safe in my castle. There are no one to disturb you. It would be just you and me." Hades blankly stated. But he looked slightly lonesome.

Mathias noticed it. Although soon the quiet man's expression turned enigmatic again, as if he was a doll that felt nothing. He might be one of those quiet guys who couldn't express their emotions very well, and therefore was bullied a lot. Though Mathias think it was high unlikely for anyone to want to bully Hades. He had a dark majestic feel around him, he bore a unique charisma. And usually people who have such aura were respected and feared by others for certain reasons. Feared, but alone.

He was sharp if it was about this kind of things. Nevertheless, Mathias was never one who could stand seeing someone looking so gloomy.

Tapping at Hades' shoulder, he smiled soothingly at him when Hades turned to him. "Um, look… I know I'm a stranger and all. But I'm thankful you're helping me. I'm pretty much useless, but at least I can be a friend or something. I mean, I'll listen to you, man. Just come to me whenever you want to chill."

Hades was quiet.

But then a thin smile rose on his lips. "…you're an odd one."

Mathias grinned. "Haha. They all said that!"

Well, looking at the bright side, making the Lord of the Underworld smile might not be such a bad thing after all.

* * *

"How is Alfred's friend?" Heracles asked, his brown eyes glanced at the seemingly exhausted Grecian God of War.

Ares was leaning against the wall of the hospital building, looking tired and sweaty. On his right, Hermes was crouching down, his head lolled back against the wall, panting hard. Both of their clothes were sweat-soaked. The three of them were in the back of the hospital building nearby West High, in a spot where people rarely came.

Ares and Hermes had just returned from Ares' house, bringing Apollo's medicines in hands. The God of War himself never though it would come a day when he would use his full godly power for such a small cause as to save a puny human's life. Even if his father favored that human's soul. He even went as far as to borrow his little brother's ridiculous sandals. He wondered why he did so far just because Alfred was looking gloomy and sad. Ares mentally cursed.

Shit, how low had he fallen because of a mere human?

"We managed to save his body. The body's being brought inside right now with Alfred as we speak." Arthur replied, while panting a bit.

"…I see." Heracles said, staring at both of his half-brothers. His gaze fell upon the breathless Hermes, who was looking more tired than Ares himself. He looked thoughtful for a moment, before finally spoke to the Messenger of the Gods.

"I've just heard the story from Ares, but I'm still curious. Hermes. You said you were punished by father, and now you have to collect the special souls - what have you done to deserve this?" He bluntly asked.

Ares turned his head towards his younger brother as well, raising an eyebrow. "I'm curious too. You've always been devoted, unlike Dionysus. It's unlikely for you to be here while abandoning your main duties - what did you do? Why were you punished and what for?"

Hermes flinched under their piercing gazes. To Ares' and Heracles' surprise and further suspicion, the shortest man's face suddenly grew very red and he avoided their inquisitive stares. He stayed awfully quiet as he sank his face in between his folded knees that he hugged close to his chest. He didn't look like he wanted to answer at all.

"Hermes." Ares called, furrowing his eyebrows. He had never seen his younger brother acted this way before. He acted extremely strange and was he… blushing? Now Ares was more suspicious than before. And apparently so did Heracles. "Hermes. What did you do?" Ares asked again, narrowing his eyes.

The younger god flinched and blushed again, averting his eyes. He stayed suspiciously silent.

But Ares refused to give up just yet. "Hermes, if you don't tell us, I'm going to ask Zeus directly why he punishes you." When Hermes refused to answer again, he added, "Or do you want me to tell him that you've failed this one too? You know Zeus isn't going to tolerate - "

Before he could finish his statement, Hermes had turned his head sharply with a horrified look on his face, and he suddenly stood up. "No! Don't tell him! If he knows I screw up again, he wouldn't let me visit the human world again!" He exclaimed, almost shrieking.

Ares was taken aback by the sudden action. "What? I thought you dislike the human world? You said it was getting too polluted, why the sudden change of mind?"

A look of realization hit Hermes as he slapped a hand over his mouth, as if he had said something he shouldn't have. He looked upset, then he blushed again, seemingly hesitant. He definitely wasn't acting like the willful, short-tempered god he usually was. Even Heracles had an eyebrow raised by such an unusual sight.

"He's acting very strange." He whispered to Ares.

"I agree. Something's definitely up." Ares replied in whisper.

Hermes looked as if he was caught red-handed, staring at his own feet. His gaze hesitantly went up, but down again, stealing nervous glances at both of his siblings. Then he clenched his eyes shut, a deep crimson blush spread over his cheeks. "P-promise you won't tell father?" He asked.

Ares and Heracles looked at each other, then they turned to Hermes again. "I promise under the name of my mother, Hera. You have my word." Ares swore.

"…likewise. I swear by my mother's honorable name, Alcmene." Heracles nodded.

Hermes still looked a bit unsure, however, more willing now. "…Zeus punished me because… I was late. I abandoned my duty and came here to find Dionysus, but… I didn't come back to Olympus within the limit of the permitted time. Zeus was mad because he thought I slacked off."

Heracles tilted his head. "…I don't see the reason why you were trying to hide it. Has something else happened?"

Hermes blushed again, but he tried to hide it by looking angry. "I'm not finished!" He exclaimed. "I was looking for Dionysus since that damn air-head always gets lost. I looked for him and ended up in a dimwitted bastard's restaurant… then waited there for a whole night… and then before I knew it… I was late." His voice trailed off and barely audible at the end.

"A whole night, huh. Didn't the store close up at night? How could you stand staying outside overnight? A spoiled brat like you doesn't strike me as someone who'd want to get down and dirty." Ares scoffed.

Hermes frowned. "I didn't stay outside. I stayed inside." He scowled. "I didn't break in either. The owner of that restaurant let me… use his bed."

"Wait, what? So you were saying… you fucked a human woman and got punished because of that?"

"I didn't have sex with him! We just slept next to each other! Don't interpret it as you please!"

The Grecian God of War was dumbfounded. "…it was a man?"

"Interesting." Heracles commented softly, nodding to himself.

"So Hermes became infatuated with this 'dimwitted bastard' he spoke of. This phenomena is strangely similar to someone…" He glanced meaningfully at Ares, who suddenly had a pink blush creeping on his cheeks.

"I am not infatuated!" Both Ares and Hermes exclaimed at the same time. Then they looked at each other.

Heracles' gazed at Ares and then to Hermes. Both of them had similar personalities, he noted mentally.

Ares coughed. "Anyway," He purposely switched the topic.

"We've managed to save that kid's physical body, but we have yet to know his soul's whereabouts. Even if the body lives, without the soul he will never wake up again. Are you sure you don't know where the soul goes?" He turned to Hermes.

The said man shook his head. "My job is to carry the dead spirits to the Underworld, I can track any spirit that's still roaming around in the human world… but that human's soul is a special soul. It's a bit tricky to find it. Their aura is usually shielded by nature, to protect them from being discovered by the evil spirits. Those gloomy ghosts love a taste of the pure."

"It'd be bad if the soul somehow manages to go into the Underworld…" Heracles said, rubbing his chin in thought.

"Hades will be tough to deal with." Ares agreed.

"He'd never let a spirit go once it has become a resident of the Underworld… he's too strict with the rules. He'll be furious if someone even attempts to steal one from him." Hermes shivered, face paling.

"…not to mention the evil spirits. We have to find it quickly." Ares nodded. "Hermes, try to track it down. Heracles, we need your help too."

"I'm on it." Hermes replied while Heracles only gave a brief nod.

"I'll go and see if I can use my power to - "

"Arthur!"

The three gods turned to see Alfred, who was running towards them, then stopped before Ares. Then he suddenly pulled Ares into his arms, squeezing him tightly. "Arthur, thank you! Thanks so much. Because of you, Matt is okay now! It's all because of you!" He exclaimed happily, grinning widely while the older man was having a hard time breathing under the pressure the blonde put him under.

"You… git! I can't breathe, let go!" He shouted angrily, all the while blushing furiously.

"Who's that?" Hermes asked Heracles.

"Ares' new wife." Heracles replied blankly.

Hermes' jaw dropped, wide-eyed "What! But that's a _guy_!"

The Grecian hero nodded.

"That's why it's very entertaining to watch."

The American finally released his tight embrace after a short moment, leaving one breathless god of war, who was both embarrassed and irritated. But the younger blonde just smiled widely. It made Ares feel a bit relieved that Alfred was no longer sad although his eyes were still red from crying. It secretly annoyed him that Alfred cried for another, though. The human boy was his property even though he was annoying. But he could let it slide for now.

"How's your friend?" Arthur asked, although he honestly could've cared less.

"He's fine. Still sleeping though. The doc said his life is not in danger anymore, all that's left to do is wait 'til he wakes up. Isn't that great?" He grinned happily, squeezing Arthur's hands.

"Yeah… it's great…" The older blonde avoided his eyes. Alfred didn't know that his friend's soul was lost and if not quickly restored to the physical body, he'd never wake up. But somehow he couldn't tell him, not when he was smiling so brightly right now…

"Oh yeah, Matt's folks are here! I told them you saved Matt, so they want to thank you personally." Alfred looked over his shoulder, and waved at someone. "Here, Mr. Kholer! He's the guy I told you about!"

Arthur raised his gaze and turned to the direction same direction as Alfred. At first he didn't react at all as the silhouette of a tall blonde man slowly approached them. But as the man got closer and closer, Ares' emerald eyes grew wider in each step closer. His lips parted slightly and his thick eyebrows furrowed deeply. His body unconsciously became tense.

Not far from them, Hermes' expression twisted in both shock and horror as he kept glancing at his older brother and the approaching man. While Heracles was oddly calm as he observed silently, but he kept staring at Ares, who was as silent and stiff as a statue.

"Arthur, this is Matt's dad." Alfred introduced, after the tall blonde stopped before them.

Ares bit his lower lip, clenching his fists. When he spoke in a low voice, barely audible even to Alfred who was the closest to him, it still left a bitter taste in his mouth.

"...Hephaestus…"

* * *

TBC

* * *

A/N: Hephaestus, God of Technology, Blacksmiths, Craftsmen, Artisans and Volcanoes , is the son of Hera and Zeus (or Hera alone, since another myth says she gave birth to him without Zeus' help) and the husband of Aphrodite. As the myth tells, Hephaestus was considered 'very ugly' (which I don't think he was, but Grecian myths love beautiful but slightly girly guys more :P). Aphrodite abhorred him but couldn't do anything when Zeus arranged-married them. So, dissatisfied by such an ugly husband, she cheated with Ares, who is also the blood brother of Hephaestus, being of the same mother (and father). Hephaestus was furious, of course, he built a trap to catch them in the act and he succeeded. But his attempt to humiliate both Ares and Aphrodite and get them punished didn't work ('coz the other gods were admiring Ares' and Aphrodite's beauty instead), though Ares indeed felt humiliated and left Olympus for a long time after that, breaking up his relationship with the goddess. So I thought that because of this, their relationship is that of arch-enemies since they are both still bitter about it (and 'coz Grecian gods are such children).

Ugh, Sweden's godly counter part's name is a mouthful D:

EDIT: Okay, corrected some grammar errors, there might be more left. But I really need to go study now. -.-'


	14. Forbidden Desires

A/N: So, since I've been absent for quite a while now, I feel that I owe you an explanation. These past few months have been very rough on me, since October last year. I was studying in Graphic Design major in my university for almost two years, I've gone through four semesters of my bachelor degree when I realized what I wanted to learn wasn't in that school. I had a really hard time accepting the subjects that I did not want to learn, for my passion goes for a specific field; drawing illustration.

Although Graphic Design major could also be an Illustrator after I graduated from there, it's just that in my previous university, Graphic Design major was still a new major and still very lacking of facilities and good teachers, since my uni was far away from the city. In fact, it hasn't been granted enough facilities even now, and practically half-abandoned, so I made a risky wager. I told my parents how I felt and I applied to take an entry exam to a prestigious art school in Singapore. The exam was on December, so I had one and a half month to prepare myself. Then, I made another risky bet. Without telling my parents, I applied to take a 'rest' from the university for the remaining of the semester (it was already in the middle of a semester), in order to study for the exam. Only my friends knew I did that, I didn't tell my parents.

It was very chancy. I knew if I take a semester off and fail the exam, I'd be in big troubles in terms of catching up with my studies (not to mention I'd be devastated), and my parents would find out I've wasted on the school fee for the semester and that I've lied to them. I was nervous and scared, really scared. That's when the story updates were late, because I was preparing myself for the exam the entire time. Despite all the risks I took, I went on with life, took the exam, and waited for a whole month for the result.

I tried to forget about it, but on January, university will begin a new semester, so I became anxious again. But then the agent called and told us that I got in with a 7500 dollars per year worth of scholarship! I was really happy, of course, but then again I have to waste 2 years worth of education to start anew, I have a contract with the Singapore government to work there for three years, and I'll be living away from my family and friends. But I think it's worth it.

Since then, I've been busy with the application paperworks, looking for an apartment, going to check the school, raising my drawing skills, learning chinese(because most Singaporeans speak the language), etc. I'll be moving there on July. So why the lack of updates? Because I'm having one of the biggest moments in my life, that's why! :-)

**Ares**-Arthur/England

**Heracles**/Hercules-Heracles/Greece

**Zeus**-Francis/France

**Apollo**-Vash/Switzerland

**Artemis**-Lili/Liechtenstein

**Athena**-Elizaveta/Hungary

**Dionysus**-Feliciano/N. Italy

**Demeter**-Katja/Ukraine

**Poseidon**-Ivan/Russia

**Hermes**-Lovino/S. Italy

**Hephaestus**-Berwald/Sweden

**Hestia**-Natalia/Belarus

**Hades**-Lukas/Norway

Warnings: M-rated contents, and language. Some stuff are made-up, plots based on Grecian myths. This story is purely fiction.

* * *

**Chapter Fourteen: Forbidden Desires**

In his whole immortal life, there was only one woman whom Ares had truly loved.

She was the most beautiful woman in the world, the most beautiful goddess among the most beautiful of goddesses. He was captivated by her blue eyes that were like a pair of diamonds, her luscious golden hair as if it was made out of the sunset, her skin that was in the color of the finest porcelain and as soft as the finest silk, her red plump lips, her sensual voluptuous body, and her graceful, deadly allure.

No man could ever resist the goddess of love, Aphrodite, and most certainly Ares himself had fallen hard for the beautiful goddess.

He admitted, no one had ever made him feel the way Aphrodite did to him. What he felt for her was far more than the mere physical attraction he had with many of his other partners. He wasn't only attracted to Aphrodite's beauty and grace, but he was also captivated by her personality, her wittiness, her intelligence, even her often terrible temper. Because Ares himself was violent and crude himself, it was as if they were a perfect match. To him, Aphrodite was the perfect woman.

He fell in love with her, hard. He was in love with her so deeply that he din't mind betraying his own blood brother Hephaestus, Aphrodite's rightful husband. At that time Ares didn't care as long as the woman he loved was in his arms, although his heart ached that she wasn't completely his. It didn't matter to him, it was Hephaestus' fault that he couldn't satisfy his wife. Ares was far more of a man and god than he ever was, Aphrodite chose him over that ugly bastard as the prove, and that was all he needed.

If love drove a man to madness, it was true. Aphrodite was the woman Ares had ever truly loved. She had driven him madly in love with her. Ares was sure an eternity wouldn't be enough for him to forget about her. Even if he was just one of her countless lovers.

"-a way to find that boy's spirit, I think we should ask Athena. What do you think, Ares?"

Ares was suddenly pulled out of his thought. He looked up to his right and saw Alfred, who was standing next to him, had given him a questioning look. He glanced around him and finally remembered where they were, in the hallway of the hospital ward, discussing of ways to save Alfred's friend. Alfred, Heracles, and Hermes were all staring at him, while Hephaestus stood a bit far from them, his back against the wall with a thoughtful look on his face, while crossing his arms.

Damn. It looked like he was dozing off without noticing.

"…what's the matter?" Heracles asked, sounding as bland as ever.

"Nothing." Arthur sighed and scratched the back of his head. "Sorry, I wasn't listening. What were you saying again?"

"We're wondering if we should go and ask Athena." Hermes calmly explained.

"Lady Athena is an excellent strategist, she knows every nook and cranny of the land and the ocean. I'm sure she knows well of the places where spirits hide. If we can get her to help us, it'll save us a lot of work." Heracles proposed.

"Yeah I think it's a good idea." Hermes added. "Sister Athena is the best tracker I know, actually even better than me."

"So what do you think, Ares? Should we go ask for her help, or should we think of another way?"

Ares didn't reply immediately, taking a thoughtful moment. Athena was indeed a remarkable goddess, he thought, she was excellent at planning almost anything, especially if it had a relation to war strategies. She was the goddess of war after all, although she was far gentler in handling things than the violent and barbaric way Ares much preferred.

He hated to have to ask for her help because they constantly fought over their own principles of war, but she may be the best shot they had.

"…I do not care what you lot are planning to do."

All the three gods and one human glanced at the previously silent blonde who suddenly spoke. Hephaestus were looking at them with cold eyes, paying an especially icy glare towards Ares. When he spoke again, his voice was thick with cold resentment.

"But I refuse to ask for _his_ help. I'm going to save my son by myself." With that statement, Hephaestus sharply turned and walked away in quick strides, leaving the rest of the group without looking back.

Alfred was especially shocked as he stared at his best friend's dad, he looked back and forth at tall man and the group of gods, who didn't seem to share the same feelings as him, each had a grim look on their faces, although Heracles seemed to be as expressionless as ever. Realizing that none of the three would try to stop Mathias' father, Alfred was about to turn around to run after the man himself, when Arthur caught him by his arm.

The American teen looked back to see the hardened face of the Grecian War God, much darker than he had ever seen in him, staring at him with a cold, yet slightly sad pair of jade eyes. "Don't." He mouthed softly, as he held Alfred's arm firmly. His eyes were fixated at Hephaestus' back.

Alfred snapped his gaze in line with Arthur's, then turned back. He didn't think it was a good idea to let the man leave. "But - "

"It's my fault." Ares cut him calmly. "I'll go. You stay here."

Without further ado, Arthur released his grip and went after Hephaestus, still with the same expression on his face.

Alfred was watching him as god disappeared behind the white-painted hospital walls, dumbfounded. He clearly didn't see this coming, that Arthur and his brothers actually knew Mathias' father. Or… did Mr. Kholer's relationship with them was deeper than he thought? Arthur did call him a name that sounded unfamiliar to him, Hippo or hepasomething.

One thing certain, however, it looked like they didn't share a good relationship, especially between Arthur and Mr. Kholer. They seemed to resent each other, it was quite obvious. But… Alfred wondered what set them off. What had happened between them?

"Hephaestus is Ares' blood brother." Heracles suddenly spoke, earning the turning head of the American boy. Hermes was silent, despite the troubled look showed on his face.

"Mr. Kholer and Arthur are brothers?" Alfred asked, stunned. He didn't see that coming either.

Heracles nodded. "Yes. Unlike us, his half-brothers, Hephaestus and Ares were born of the same parents, Zeus and Hera. Ares has closer blood relation to him than the rest of us." He explained calmly.

"But… they don't look close, I mean, they look like they hate each other's guts." Alfred stated, reminded of the tense, heavy atmosphere that lingered between Ares and Hephaestus from minute one they met. It was more like deep resentment than just siblings fight, in a dark, murderous kind. It actually scared him a little bit.

Heracles didn't say anything for a short while, as if wondering whether or not he should tell Alfred, but he decided to speak again. "I'm not sure whether I am in the position of telling this. Ares may be angry with me if I tell you before he could…"

"It's okay, I want to know. I… want to know everything about Arthur." Alfred quickly said, his curiosity only grew larger.

The quiet Grecian nodded then, continuing. "This is an open secret in the Grecian gods' world, famous within the mortal's universe. And since you're Ares' spouse… I think you should know this." He said, gaining more attention from the curious boy. Hermes looked at Heracles as if he wanted to interrupt, but apparently decided not to say anything.

Glancing at the fidgeting god briefly, Heracles continued. "A long time ago, Hephaestus was married to a goddess, said to be the most beautiful in all of Olympus, Aphrodite. Also, with whom Ares had fallen in love with."

A look of realization surfaced upon Alfred, as his mind processed the information quicker than Heracles' next words. "Don't tell me." He muttered in slight disbelief, wide-eyed. "Don't tell me… did Arthur…?"

The Grecian Hero looked at him with blank eyes, then nodded. "You catch on quick."

Alfred sucked in breath, suddenly finding it hard to digest the sudden revelation. It was too much for him, he felt his head started aching slightly.

"Arthur… had an affair with with his brother's wife?" He asked, resenting the words that came out of his mouth. He felt nauseous all of a sudden. He clutched at his stomach, trying not to gag. "But why…? How could he, behind his own brother's back…?"

"Grecian gods are selfish creatures."

Alfred looked up and found the dark-haired half-god had spoken again, now an obvious serious look on his face, unlike his usual blank, silent self. It was the first time Alfred saw this side to Heracles, he looked solemn and for the first time, scary. Alfred unconsciously gulped the spit that gathered in his throat.

"Alfred, we are not as how you think of us. Gods are selfish and childish by nature, for centuries they've reigned over the world based only on a whim. The human world served as nothing but a toy for them to play with when bored. Back then, Ares was no different with those whimsical, egoistical creatures who thought of nothing but themselves. Gods interfered and toyed with humans and fellow gods alike, they built, they destroyed, they killed, they took and gave away as they pleased. No one could stop them, and they were very well aware of that."

"Ares was the most violent of the gods. He was barbaric, he was heartless and rebellious. He killed more than numbers could count. He destroyed more than he created. He was the kind of man who would rage a war when he was bored, killing and destroying were his twisted idea of recreation. He even slept with his own brother's wife, and never apologized for it. He wasn't the man you thought he was." His voice was cold, as Heracles spoke blatantly.

"Alfred, you've known my brother only for a short while. You know next to nothing about him, yet you've declared that you love him and want to spend the rest of your life with him. Now that you know, do you plan to back away from that? Ares is not a human, he's a god. He has lived far longer than you have, he has seen and experienced far more things than you could ever do in your life." Heracles saw Alfred reel back, fear overcame his expression. He looked like as if he wanted to say something, but Heracles wasn't done yet.

"You and Ares lived in a completely different world. This is not some innocent puppy love. This is a real adult relationship and not a normal one at that. If you've realized this and changed your mind, I suggest you break things now before you're dragged in too deep." As soon as Heracles had finished his sentence, he looked up to a very troubled-looking teenager before him with a pair of cold dark eyes.

Alfred's blue eyes were wide and his blond eyebrows furrowed deeply, his mouth was agape, moving but without a sound. He closed it and opened it again, looking like he wanted to say something but couldn't find the right words to say. Then he looked down at his mud-smudged white sneakers, clenching his fists. Shadow overcame his expression and hid his face.

Hermes and Heracles were both looking at the baffled boy, feeling the tension surrounding them heightened. The Messenger of the Gods was silent the whole time, although looking thoughtful himself, his eyes were staring into the white walls. While the half-god Hero stayed calm and composed, seemingly unfazed by the situation.

"I…" Alfred's broken word broke the silence, both of the gods looked at him. Alfred's head was still lowered that they couldn't see his face, but they could see his fists clenching tightly at his sides.

"I… I don't… know…" He muttered softly again, almost inaudible. When he finally held up his chin again, a deeply troubled look was clearly seen on his face.

"…I gotta go." Then he turned on his heels and left the scene.

After Alfred left, Hermes turned to Heracles, giving him a questioning look. "Why did you say that?" He asked, softly, unused of this Heracles he had never seen before.

Heracles glanced at him as he crossed his arms, his back against the wall. "Because he needs to know the consequences for having an affair with a god." He answered cryptically, staring down at the white porcelain floor. "How many times have this happened? It repeats itself again and again since the ancient times that I've lost count. Gods having intimate relationships with humans. …and the chaos it causes." He muttered.

"Since the beginning, gods weren't supposed to meddle with humans, let alone getting into forbidden affairs with them. How much sufferings had it brought onto those humans' lives? Gods are selfish, they never thought of the consequences of their actions, and it took tolls only upon the humans they mingled with. Like my mother, for example." Heracles was silent for the next couple of seconds, before he continued.

"Alfred is still young. A boy his age doesn't usually think far into his future, they live in the moment. Worse yet, he accidentally got dragged into something he know nothing of of the danger. He acted out of emotion and the surge of adrenaline in response to all the things happened to him, if someone don't tell him right there and then, it would be too late."

"…but I thought you approve of their relationship?"

Heracles sighed as he smiled thinly.

"I thought it was interesting to see a flustered Ares, and that boy… he's apparently a good influence to our stubborn brother. For once, I see Ares is looking happier for the first time in decades. But… this has to stop eventually." He shook his head, a grim look on his face. "It's a different world now. The reign of the gods has ended a long time ago, we shouldn't meddle with humans. They don't need gods anymore."

Hermes looked thoughtful, seemingly taking Heracles' words into consideration. Although…

"How about you?" Hermes suddenly asked. "You said we shouldn't meddle with humans anymore. But how about what you want? What are your feelings about this?"

Dark eyes widened slightly at Hermes' bold question. And then he averted his gaze, a thin bitter smile grew on his lips.

"I know it's not meant to be. But…" He brought a hand to clutch at the front of his shirt. "…it's a lost cause for me."

Seeing an unexpected reaction from the usually emotionless man, Hermes felt forlorn. "I… I think I understand that."

"In the end, we're still unable to run away from these troublesome feelings." Heracles blandly stated. "After all I said, I can't fulfill one thing."

"True, I think I've never heard you talk so much." Hermes pointed, laughing.

"…and you shall never hear it again."

"Aside from all of that," Hermes interrupted, "we still have to locate the spirit of that kid, right? I don't know if Ares can persuade Hephaestus, so I think we can count him out for now. I can go to Sister Athena's place, but I think we still have some problems. What if the spirit hides underwater? I don't think even Athena can see through the ocean."

"There's always Poseidon." Heracles suggested. "He's the ruler of the ocean, he can order all sorts of sea creatures to help us, although it may be too fancy. But we're running out of time at this point."

Hermes face blanched. "No! Not Poseidon! What if he tells father? He likes to lie and play tricks on us! He'll definitely tell Zeus that I screwed up again!" He uttered in panic, flailing his arms.

"Don't worry, he won't do that. He owes something to me from before, he doesn't like owing anything to other people, he'll agree to help us."

Hermes looked astonished. "He owes you…? For what?"

Heracles rubbed his chin. "Well, there were times when he tearfully asked me to hide him when Hestia was looking for him…"

"Ooh… so she went out for him again? Poor Poseidon." Hermes uttered, sympathizing with his uncle. "Um, but the last time I went to his castle last week, his servants said he hasn't returned for a month. I don't know if he's home now."

"If that is the case, I'll go to check if he's there. You go to Athena. We'll meet here again later."

"What about Ares?"

"…don't worry, he'll call when he's done." Heracles assured.

"Alright, I'll go to Athena's place now." Hermes agreed. But before he left for the Olympus, he asked Heracles, "By the way, if you happen to meet Dionysus somewhere, tell me where he is. I'm gonna give him a piece of my mind."

"Sure."

With a poof, Hermes had put on his winged sandals and vanished into the air.

Now, the only one left was Heracles, his mission now was to seek help from the God of the Sea, as risky as it was. He mused as he strolled along the hospital hallways. To be honest, however, he felt a bit guilty for lashing out on Alfred just a while ago, even more worried about Ares and Hephaestus. He knew Ares would be fine, although he wasn't sure what the human boy would do.

He thought perhaps he was too hard on him, after all Alfred was still just a boy. But nevertheless, he only told the truth and had to warn him, for he knew very well the danger of a human weaving a relationship with a god. He knew some gods wouldn't be too happy with Ares' 'accidental' marriage with the boy. Heracles shook his head softly.

Who was he to talk? Heracles himself couldn't get a certain person out of his mind, no matter how much he tried. And Ares… he could see that his half-brother has feelings growing for the human boy, and Hermes too, looked like he had someone in mind. Almost every god of Olympus had have at least one human lover in their lives.

Heracles sighed.

It was as if the gods' attraction towards humans was inevitable, as if it was in their nature to be attracted to the humans. Was it because humans were made to resemble them so much? Somehow gods always ended up attracted to the mortals, as inferior as they were to them, like moths to fire. Heracles could feel the half god in him giving in into forbidden desires towards the humans, unable to fight, enchanted by the things only humans could do and feel, the things no god capable of. Though it felt more natural to Heracles to be infatuated to them, because he was half human.

Despite what he wanted, however, he knew he shouldn't be seeing Kiku anymore, but he couldn't resist. He just couldn't. He was different, unlike any other person he met, Kiku was special. It had felt so natural for Heracles to be with him, to talk to him, to walk with him. And overtime they spent time together, his feelings only grew deeper, to the point it would be dangerous to go on. Heracles had to go back to Olympus someday, but he couldn't bear the thought of not seeing Kiku ever again. Humans lives were short, if he didn't use the remaining of time they had, Kiku would just… pass like the other mortals.

The thought of it was frightening. Heracles clenched his jaw. Why did gods fall in love with humans when they know they could never be together in the end? If Heracles could kill his feelings for him, he would. He would.

If only.

"Heracles-san?"

Heracles' dark eyes widened when he saw a dark-haired Asian man was walking slowly towards him, holding out a rod and tapping it left and right as he found his way, his unfocused dark eyes stared straight at him. Beside him, a seemingly young Chinese walked alongside him, gently placing his hand over his shoulder. The Grecian was surprised as he stopped on his track, realizing he was already outside of the hospital building, only a few feet away from the entrance.

He hurriedly rushed towards his Japanese friend, a hand outstretched to touch Kiku's. The gentle man smiled kindly at the familiar touch. "Ah, thank goodness you're still here. I was looking for you." He said, gently holding the Grecian's hand.

Heracles felt a bit embarrassed yet strangely glad. "Honda-san, I'm sorry I left you before, a family friend was injured. But that aside, how are you? How did the examination goes?"

"Yes. The doctor said I have a slight cold, but that's just because my age is catching up with me. Otherwise, I'm very healthy." Kiku explained.

"Kiku, would you care to introduce me to this man?" Asked the Chinese man on his side. Heracles glanced at him, realizing he looked unfamiliar. But he realized he gave out the same aura as Kiku.

"Ah, yes. How rude of me. Heracles-san, I'd like to introduce you to my older brother, Yao nii-san. Yao nii-san, this is Heracles-san, a good friend of mine."

"I am Wang Yao, Kiku's Ge Ge. I've heard about you, thank you for taking care of my Di Di." The man called Yao said with a smile as he held out his hand.

Heracles did the same and they shook hands briefly. "Heracles Karpussi. It's an honor." He calmly said.

"Heracles-san, Yao nii-san has come to take me home. But I would like to see you before I go, I'm glad you haven't left. It is really a pity that we couldn't talk more. I wish to see you again at the park tomorrow, will you come?" He asked, looking expectant.

"Ah, tomorrow… I'm afraid I can't, I… have an errand to run. It's quite important." Heracles said, secretly feeling disappointed. But he had to go to Poseidon's palace, that would take at least one and half a day.

"Oh. That is too bad." Kiku sounded genuinely disappointed.

"Sorry, I would like to see you again soon with the kittens, but it's urgent, so…"

"Oh no, it is alright. We can meet next time you are available. Please bring the kittens too, I would love to see them again." Kiku smiled sweetly, the kind that made Heracles' chest throbbing.

"Yes. I will." Heracles replied with a smile.

"Kiku, it's almost time." Yao softly tap his younger brother's shoulder.

The Japanese man nodded, before he turned to the Grecian and smiled. "I apologize, Heracles-san. I have to go now, I hope to meet you soon."

"Me too. I hope to see you soon."

After bidding their farewells, Kiku and Yao turned around an left the tall Grecian alone. On their way, the older of the two, who held the younger's hand to guide him as they walk, started to ask about the man his Di Di was so fond of. "How did you meet that man, Kiku?" He asked, while tenderly guiding his sightless brother.

"Heracles-san? I met him at the park about a month ago. I wasn't careful and fell on the ground, he helped getting on my knees and we sat at the bench to chat. He is very nice to me." Kiku spoke fondly at the reminiscence.

"Did he really? He certainly look nice and quiet." Yao smiled as he pat the younger man's head. "But I want you to be still be careful, Kiku. He is still a stranger. He might look kind on the outside, but who knows what he is thinking."

Kiku chuckled at his brother's words. "Oh, nii-san. Don't worry. Heracles-san isn't like that. You worry too much."

"Of course I worry. You're my precious Xiong Di. I don't want anything bad to happen to you, or to our siblings." The Chinese man solemnly said as he squeezed his brother's hand gently.

Kiku returned in the same manner. "Yes. You're certainly our reliable Ge Ge." He smiled. "Oh yes… Yao nii-san, your birthday is coming soon. What would you like for your birthday?" He asked.

Yao laughed aloud, amused. "There's nothing to celebrate when you get into forty years of age, Kiku." He exclaimed, feeling silly. "But… if I can have a wish granted in my birthday, I want my family to always be healthy and happy. Especially you, you have to get better, I think that's enough birthday present for me."

Kiku looked guilty as his smiled turned into a frown. "I'm sorry I've been a burden to you and our family all this time."

"What are you saying?" Yao retorted quickly, sounding irritated. "Family is not a burden and you're my family. You're my Xiong Di and will always be my Xiong Di. I am not doing this only because I'm obliged to do it; it's because I love you as my brother."

"Yao nii-san…"

Yao smiled apologetically. "I'm sorry I raised my voice to you. But don't say that again, alright? Don't think that you're a burden to us."

Kiku shook his head. "But… because of me, because of my illness, you have to work hard day and night to pay for the medical bills. You didn't even have the time to get married and have a family, I'm…"

"I have no complain in working hard. I love working. Besides, I enjoy taking care of my siblings more than anything else in the world. And why do I have to marry to have a family? I already have my hands full of all of you, my family. Especially Yong Soo, Wan, and Hong. They're still in school. I still have a long way to go." Yao pulled his little brother to him, holding him close.

"Kiku… don't worry about me. I am fine. You just have to concentrate in getting better. As long as you're healthy, it's rewarding me enough as it is."

Kiku felt sad, but happy when he heard those words. He had always felt guilty for putting more burden onto his older brother's shoulders, already heavy with responsibility and obligation. But in the same time he felt grateful to have such a loving, caring family who loved him dearly, despite the fact that he was blind and his disease-rendered body…

"Yes… Yao nii-san. Thank you." He uttered from the depths of his heart, returning his brother's embrace.

Yao smiled as he held his younger brother. "Hmph. Silly child. You don't have to thank me. We're family." After a moment, they separated. "Let's go home." Yao said, as he held Kiku's hand. It reminded the Japanese man of the time they were still children. Yao used to hold his hand just like this.

"Yes, let's go home."

* * *

Yao pulled up the blanket until it covered Kiku's neck, as the younger man had slept from the medicine.

Gently, he brushed his palm against Kiku's forehead and felt he was a bit feverish, but the fever had gone down significantly from last night. Kiku was already sound asleep, his the futon heaved up and down in a steady rhythm as he breathed. Then, Yao took the medicine and the empty glass of water onto a wooden tray next to the futon.

He got onto his knees with the tray, proceeding to leave the room, closing the door shut as gently as he could, before it clicked behind him. Then he walked across the hallway towards the kitchen, his eyes went all over the house and saw the mess Yong Soo made before he went to school. He thought of cleaning up a bit before going to the store for the rest of the day.

As he was musing silently in peace, he finally reached the kitchen and was about to put the tray down and start washing the dishes when he was put into a sudden halt that almost made the glass fell from the tray, instead rolling over the wooden surface. With widened dark eyes, Yao stared straight at the intruder who had surprised him, standing within the room, his back facing the Chinese man.

Yao's heart was beating loudly in its ribcage, drops of sweat trickled down his temples. Without having to see his face, he knew who the tall stranger was. He glared at his back, thin black eyebrows furrowed deeply. His hands trembled and the tray shook faintly in his hands. He swallowed hard, waiting in what seem to be an endless silence.

When he tried to spoke, he felt a lump was stuck in his throat, giving him agony as he spoke. "You again."

The huge man turned around and amethyst eyes met black obsidians. His skin was pale and white as the snow and his hair light blonde. He was a very tall, seemingly young foreigner. He smiled at him, but that smile looked fake and cold to Yao's eyes. When he spoke in a pretentious childish tone of voice, Yao felt shivers ran up his spines, for to him, it sweet poison dripped from his mouth.

"Aah Yaoo… I've been waiting for you. Where have you been, darling?" The man exclaimed in a sing-song voice, approaching the unenthusiastic man with spread arms.

But before he could touch the shorter man, Yao had beaten him to it. "Don't touch me." He growled sharply, looking up at the man with fierce obsidian eyes. Although his hands were still trembling. This unwelcoming reply had the blonde man's hands down. Yao was very alert, watching the man's behavior.

"What do you want?" He asked rudely.

The blonde was still smiling, but didn't answer. He took the tray from Yao's hand and put it away into the sink, before turning around and gathered the smaller man into his arms. Yao tensed within his embrace, feeling the cold, icy feeling of the taller man's touch. It was cold, like the darkness in the bottom of the sea, it was odd, seeing the man was wearing long-sleeves shirt and sweater vest.

Yao flinched when the man breathed out in his ears, drowning his face into his small shoulders.

"Yao… Yao." He breathed, but even his breath felt cold against Yao's skin. The stranger held him even tighter, Yao couldn't push him away or struggle, he only stood there like a statue, unable to do anything. An invincible force had forced him to stay still and obedient, while the man did whatever he want with him. It was vexing.

"I want you, Yao." The man whispered into his ears. "I want you to come with me and be mine… forever."

* * *

TBC

* * *

**Ge Ge** = Older Brother

**Di Di** = Younger Brother

**Xiong Di** = Sibling

I've been learning Chinese~ :P

A/N: Incoming… RoChu, Hungary, more Hephaestus and SuFin, and possibly more pairings to come!


	15. Forked Roads

A/N: I'm gonna shut up and present you the story for now.

**Ares**-Arthur/England

**Heracles**/Hercules-Heracles/Greece

**Zeus**-Francis/France

**Apollo**-Vash/Switzerland

**Artemis**-Lili/Liechtenstein

**Athena**-Elizaveta/Hungary

**Dionysus**-Feliciano/N. Italy

**Demeter**-Katja/Ukraine

**Poseidon**-Ivan/Russia

**Hermes**-Lovino/S. Italy

**Hephaestus**-Berwald/Sweden

**Hestia**-Natalia/Belarus

**Hades**-Lukas/Norway

* * *

**Chapter Fifteen: Forked Roads**

"Hephaestus, will you stop walking away so I can talk to you?"

"I have no reason to speak to the likes of you." Hephaestus retorted, never looking back at the Grecian God of War who was tailing him.

Ares clucked his tongue as he proceeded to follow his blood brother along the empty pathway of the garden. In all honesty, Ares could've stopped Hephaestus from the moment he was about to leave. Even though Hephaestus hid it well, he couldn't move as fast Ares because Hephaestus had a crippled leg, shown by the slight limping he walked with. But Ares decided against taking an advantage, since it might worsen the situation.

If he could choose, Ares would certainly prefer not to bother dealing with Hephaestus at all. They weren't in the best terms, given what happened in the past. Hephaestus loathed him, and so did Ares to Hephaestus. They could not stand even being in the same room. However now he didn't have a choice, much to his chagrin. He dreaded his luck.

"…you do have a reason to talk to me." Ares said, sternly.

"This is not about you or me. This is about finding your son."

"I will find my child and save him with my own hands." Hephaestus replied.

"Will you just - stop for a moment? We need to talk." Ares desperately reasoned.

"I refuse." The taller blonde ignored the proposition. "It has nothing to do with you. I want nothing from you, leave and let me and my family be."

Ares groaned inwardly. So stubborn! Ares felt extremely irritated by Hephaestus' refusal to listen. …yet, he could see why they were related, despite the fact that they look nothing alike. He too was stubborn and hot-headed. But he decided it was a bout time to stop this ongoing marching duel, outstretching his arm as fast as he could, then grab onto Hephaestus shoulder and pulled him to stop.

Hephaestus had a look of abhorrence written on his face as he looked over his shoulder, as if something dirty and abominable had been the one that touched him. But Ares ignored it.

"Look, I know you loathe me and want nothing to do with me. And believe me, I too, wish I don't have to do… this." Ares furrowed his eyebrows, feeling as much negativity as the grecian god in front of him.

"But this isn't about us. This has absolutely nothing to do with the past. This does not have anything to do with… Aphrodite." He paused to inhale deeply. Then he looked straight at the taller man's eyes.

"…your child. He's an important person to Alfred. Do you think I would go so far to save the life of a meaningless mortal? I would not. But that child is Alfred's friend. He means so much to him. That's why I want to save him. It doesn't have anything to do with me, Hephaestus. I don't matter. All that matters is that child can be saved, for Alfred's sake." He let go off Hephaestus' shoulder, hoping Hephaestus wouldn't start running away again.

The much taller man, indeed didn't show any sign of leaving. However he didn't exactly looked convinced. He stood still, throwing suspicious glares towards the War God. "Why do I have to trust your words?" He questioned thunderously.

"It never occurs to me a prideful man such as yourself would stoop so low as to convince an outcast like me. What are you hiding?" He shot an accusing glare at the other. "…or are you not satisfied only having stolen my wife in the past, and now you wish to take away this small happiness I have as well?"

Ares clenched his jaw.

"There is no such thing, I assure you. I have nothing to hide."

Hephaestus furrowed his eyebrows. "I don't trust you."

"I don't care if you don't trust me." Ares uttered impassively. "If you feel uncomfortable with me being in the team, then I will leave. However, you must let Heracles and Hermes help you with your search. The more people in this, the better. Please be reasonable."

Arthur bit on his lower lip as he waited for his brother, who had suddenly grew quiet, his eyebrows creased deeply. Both were quiet.

"… I understand, and I'm sorry."

Ares' mouth hung agape at the unexpected bit at the end.

Hephaestus ran a hand up his short blonde hair. He looked troubled. "I'm sorry, you were right. I was being unreasonable. I'm supposed to think of the best way to save my Mathias, but instead I was caught up in the past that no longer matters." He uttered softly. He looked up at Ares, his eyes no longer reflected wrath.

The God of war sighed in relief.

"I'm sorry too. I really do… brother."

"Be that it may, but I still haven't forgotten what you've done, Ares." Hephaestus said curtly as he frowned, Ares gulped unknowingly. Then the taller man heaved a sigh, he seemed tired.

"Do forgive me. Old habits die hard."

"I understand. Take your time."

Ares gave him a nervous smile.

Both of the brothers became quiet again. Even though words of forgiveness had been exchanged, none of them felt the tension had been entirely lifted. Old grudges were hard to be resolved easily, especially ones such as theirs. Ares had never really bonded with Hephaestus due to the God of Blacksmith's reputation as the outcast, meanwhile Ares had always been his parents' favorite, loved by the gods and creatures dwelling within the heavens.

With them being such different people although of the same blood, there were tend to be tensions and siblings' rivalry, with them always being compared to each other as Zeus and Hera's children.

Ares realized he never really knew Hephaestus. He never bothered. It was far easier to ignore the existence of his unpopular outcast of a brother than trying to understand him at all. They rarely if never, even communicated to each other like brothers. He thought of nothing about his feelings when he did his mischief in the past. Only now he realized that Hephaestus might've been a very kind person, to ever try to forgive the grotesque betrayal Ares had done to him.

As for him, Ares was terrible at forgiving others, atrocious in punishing those who wronged him, even if it was only for a slight mistake. He vaguely recalled the scene after Alfred had unknowingly bound him in this troublesome Marriage Law. Had it not for Heracles stopping him, he would've killed that boy a long time ago ...

When he was deep in his regretful thoughts, Hephaestus had decided to break the ice.

" …someone."

Arthur blinked, breaking away from his previous state of mind.

"I'm sorry, what?"

He felt guilty for not listening properly.

Hephaestus sighed lightly, as if used to being ignored by the younger god.

"As I was saying… Before we go, I would like you to meet someone." He stated, observing Ares' reaction.

"Oh." Ares dumbly said.

"I - I mean, sure. I would love to!" He quickly said, cursing his slow mind processing system.

Hephaestus quietly turned on his heels, looking over his shoulders. "Come." He said, signaling the other man to walk with him side by side.

Ares swallowed. But he decided to grab any chance to make amends with Hephaestus, something that he should have done centuries ago. However he must admit, if not for this… abnormal turn of events, they would still be estranged from each other, and Ares probably will never think about fixing his broken relationship with his brother. Such a strange turn of event indeed, the past few weeks had not make sense to him at all.

"Speaking of which," Hephaestus started as they walked along the garden path, presumably heading towards the West entrance of the hospital.

"Yeah?"

"From your explanation, I can't help but to learn something curious. You said you're doing this for Alfred, because my son Mathias is a good friend of his. And from in that passionate attempt to persuade me, you told me you wouldn't lift a finger otherwise. Which is very generous, knowing that it comes from you, Ares." Hephaestus gave a friendly smile to a passing nurse and her wheelchair-bound patient.

Ares didn't like where this conversation was heading to.

"I've known Alfred for five years. Mathias has never been able to stop talking about him ever since they've made friends in middle school. Alfred was once a regular guest to my house. Overtime, now he is just like a part of my family. That boy is like a second son to us and a brother to Mathias." He told Arthur, eyes looking straight at the road ahead of them.

Hephaestus turned to him.

"Which brings to my question; what exactly is your relationship with Alfred?"

He knew that question will come sooner or later.

Felling his stomach churned because he knew he could not avoid the truth, Ares sighed.

"These are odd times, my brother." He uttered softly. "These past few weeks has been nothing but curious abnormalities that I can't help but to think that there's someone playing _us_ from behind, laughing all the while."

Hephaestus raised an amused eyebrow.

"You speak of riddles, Ares."

"I do, don't I? And I wasn't even fond of puzzles or literature back in the old days." Ares gave a sarcastic smirk. "As much as I don't want to admit it, it's an unchangeable fact that fate has certainly played me right in its palm. Alfred… he and I …"

Ares inhaled and exhaled.

"We are married."

It took seconds for Arthur to notice the other man had stopped on his track, left behind by a few steps.

"… you're not joking."

It was a statement, not a question.

Arthur smiled stiffly. "Unfortunately, I wasn't."

After a short moment of silent, Hephaestus joined him on his side and they started walking again.

"How and since when?" Came the questions.

"By accident. Last week."

Ares answered impassively.

Hephaestus clenched his eyes and furrowed his eyebrows so deeply, Arthur wouldn't be surprised if it would leave permanent marks.

"… I have a hard time believing this."

Ares shrugged.

"Don't worry. I'm still trying to convince myself that this isn't real either."

They both listened to the sounds of their shoe soles hitting the ground.

"Then what are you going to do?"

The taller man asked, his tone bland and unreadable.

"… I don't know. Try to live with it and make it work, I guess."

Even he was surprised that he was able to tell Hephaestus what he honestly felt. Unlike Heracles, Hephaestus didn't try to judge him or tell him what to do, nor did he try to pry in too deep. That was refreshing.

"I suppose… everyone has their own problems." Hephaestus said.

"I do hope the best of luck to you and Alfred."

Ares laughed. When the other man shot him a questioning glance, he turned to him with smile.

"Funny. I thought you'd start asking more questions, since you told me how much you care for Alfred."

Hephaestus paused before he answered. "I do care about Alfred. However, he is already a man. He needs to be able to fend for himself. And to take responsibility for what he has done, an accident or not."

"A reasonable man and a stern educator. I'm surprised."

A fine eyebrow was raised. "Is it that surprising?"

"No." Ares said. "I'm only regretting that I've never really known you."

Hephaestus looked at him, but Ares kept his eyes forward.

" … I must say, I feel the same." He admitted calmly.

Ares smiled. "I've never heard of you in Olympus for a while know. What have you been doing?"

"Not much, I'm afraid." Hephaestus replied solemnly. "I fell in love with a human and we're now married with a child, as you've seen."

"That's good. Are you happy?"

"Happier than I've ever been."

"I see. I'm glad for you."

"And how are you, Ares?"

Arthur paused for a while.

"I've been around for a while," He answered. "Then, one bloody night I got myself a wife who's not only annoying, inelegant and noisy, but apparently not even female."

Hephaestus nodded twice while Ares gave out a soft, amused laugh.

"Our current situations aside," He looked up at nothing in particular. "I look forward to the future."

The taller man smiled thinly.

"So do I."

* * *

Hermes did not understand how he had gotten himself into _this_ predicament.

"_Oh My Zeus_! I can't believe this! How can you let this happen to my _precious_ _costume_?"

Hermes tried not to wince at the goddess' earsplitting shriek.

"Uuuh, sister Athena, as I was saying - "

" … and it was _leather_, too! _Leather_! Did you not hear me, dear Hermes? It is one of a kind, made with the finest materials! Sewn with arachnid threads that are stronger than steel, more beautiful than diamonds! The leather was taken from the skin of a chimaera! _A chimaera_, Hermes! I spent two cycles of full moon to make it!"

The younger brother rolled hie eyes. Athena and her infatuation towards mortal fashion. "Sister, it's only one dirty spot! Please calm down!"

Athena turned her head so fast Hermes thought she would snap her head off her neck.

"_Only_ _one dirty spot_?"

Uh-oh.

After two hours and a thorough explanation about the _importance of taking extra-good care of clothing_ and the types of material that would need the most delicate attention to, Hermes had finally able to calm his goddess sister and sit her down for his turn to talk.

"Sister, I sincerely apologize for my lack of carefulness. But I need to speak to you. It is of great importance." He desperately pleaded, hopefully after he apologized (after what seemed to be the hundredth times) Athena would let him off finally.

Athena squinted her eyes warningly. "I will accept your apology this time, dear brother. But please do take care the next time you borrow my clothes."

"I will. By Zeus' name, I will." Hermes assured her. "So, would you please hear me out?"

"But of course I will listen to what my baby brother ask of me. Do sit down and drink your tea." Athena beamed, taking an elegant sip from her off-white china cup.

Hermes took a sip from his cup hurriedly. He was slightly taken aback of the delicious cup of milk tea Athena had graciously made for him.

"This is delicious." He uttered in surprise.

Athena's expression brightened, her eyes twinkled. "Oh, if you told me earlier, I would have prepared better beverage for you."

Hermes drank his tea with gusto. "Sister, you're always such an excellent host. I can't wait to have another tea party with you - wait, this is not what I am here for!" he suddenly remembered his purpose, a bit embarrassed that he'd let Athena lead him on.

"My dear goddess-sister Athena, would you assist me in clearing my name?" He asked, placing the cup down to the white marble table.

The goddess looked surprised. "Oh? Whatever do you need, Hermes? Will you be so kind as to tell me your story first?"

Upon being asked to explain, Hermes was confused where to start. "So, uh… Father, no no. Ares - wait, that's way over. Anyways, I told you I was going to look for that stupid Dionysus, right? That's why I went to the mortal world in the first place." He stuttered.

Athena nodded once. "You told me Dionysus went missing. Though I did tell you that he might have been bored so he went to play around." She laughed heartily.

"Yeah well, in the end I didn't get to find him. But I was late for my messenger duty because I was ugh," Hermes turned slightly pink. " - _distracted_ … by something while I was looking for him, so father decided to give me a punishment for abandoning my duty. And I was made in charge to harvest 'special' souls. So on my duty, I went to this school to harvest the soul of a young seer. But something happened and I lost that soul."

Athena seemed to be amused by Hermes' story.

"Oh? What happened? Why did you lose it?"

"I don't know!" Hermes exclaimed nervously.

"That's exactly why, I don't know the cause of it. Everything happened so fast. I had that soul in arms' reach, but suddenly it disappeared." He choked.

"What should I do, sister? If Zeus finds out, I will be in deeper trouble that I already am! I need to track that soul, and fast! I can't afford to kindle more wrath from father!" Hermes begged, half-panicked and half-lost.

Athena nodded in understanding.

"I see. It must be hard to track a special soul, knowing their unique characteristics."

The brother agreed. "Yes! Sister, you're the best when it comes to finding lost things, will you help me?"

"I _am_ good at finding things." Athena smiled brightly.

"Oh, Hermes! Worry not. How can I not help my cute baby brother? I'll do anything for you!" She went to pinch both of Hermes' cheeks.

Hermes turned bright pink.

"Sister, you always treat me like a child." He pouted.

"You will always be my baby brother, Hermes!" Athena smiled, giving him a quick peck on his forehead.

The goddess then stood up, walking over her extensive collection of clothing in the bedroom closet.

"Now, now. I wonder what I should bring with me to the human world?" She wondered, giggling. "Oh, this is going to be so much fun!"

Seeing such excitement written all over Athena's expression, Hermes couldn't help but to huff an exasperated sigh.

_Here's hoping luck for Heracles .._.

* * *

When Heracles arrived at Poseidon's underwater palace, he was told by Poseidon's servants that their master had not returned just yet but they had been told that Poseidon would return shortly with a guest. Heracles had agreed to wait until his eccentric uncle's returned home. After he had waited for over an hour, he decided to accept the butler - a talking red king crab with a penchant to gentlemanly behavior - to look around the famed underwater palace.

It had been interesting, to say the least. All of the underwater creatures in the palace was able to adapt and live despite the lack of seawater. Even the fishes were swimming through the air. Magic, perhaps, as not to inconvenient guests from above. And the most curious thing that the servants were sea creatures capable of speech and intelligence like humans, although some of them were mythical beasts.

How intriguing. He had never really noticed such things. But perhaps he had only known just then because Heracles rarely went down there to visit his uncle.

After a while as he was strolling along the ocean halls, a servant came to inform him that Poseidon had returned at last with his guest, and Heracles was summoned for an audience in the Throne room. Heracles shortly wondered what Poseidon was doing before that he took so long, but shrugged away the thoughts. He had other things to worry about. Time was ticking and he thought Poseidon's affairs had absolutely nothing to do with him.

That was, until he presented himself to the God of the Oceans and a realization hit him a giant block of ice in the head.

Poseidon sat in his throne that could easily fit three people, decorated in countless of gems and colorful corals, and cushioned with the finest white silken cloths. But what surprised him wasn't the grand scene or the magnificence of the entire room, but what was occupying Poseidon's attention, in his arms.

Poseidon was cradling something. No, _someone_.

A rather short, small man with long black hair tied in ponytail, he wearing a red chinese outfit with black trousers. His eyes were shut; there were traces of exhaustion and faint lines of age carved on his tired, unshaven face. They may had only met once, but there was no way Heracles could've mistaken that person. They've just met each other that same day, a few hours ago.

Heracles had not wanted to believe it himself. Suddenly a mix of emotions surged up from within the pit of his stomach, something that rarely happened to the usually quiet man. He shot a demanding glare at Poseidon, who returned his aggression with an enigmatic grin.

"What have you done to Kiku's older brother?"

* * *

TBC…

* * *

A/N: I would like to apologize for my long absence, but I think the best way to say I'm sorry is to actually update my stories as soon as possible. So I shall! I do wish you'd forgive me for being such a tardy updater. :-(


	16. Aggression

A/N: So~ I intend to wrap up the "Mathias Rescue Operation" Arc in about more 2-3 chapters. They WILL be long.

**Ares**-Arthur/England

**Heracles**/Hercules-Heracles/Greece

**Zeus**-Francis/France

**Apollo**-Vash/Switzerland

**Artemis**-Lili/Liechtenstein

**Athena**-Elizaveta/Hungary

**Dionysus**-Feliciano/N. Italy

**Demeter**-Katja/Ukraine

**Poseidon**-Ivan/Russia

**Hermes**-Lovino/S. Italy

**Hephaestus**-Berwald/Sweden

**Hestia**-Natalia/Belarus

**Hades**-Lukas/Norway

* * *

**Chapter Sixteen: Aggression**

"What have you done to Yao-san?"

Heracles demanded fiercely.

Poseidon didn't seem to realize how much Heracles tried to hold his emotions at bay. The Grecian Hero rarely ever showed any emotions at all. But clearly he was greatly disturbed by the fact that Kiku's older brother was now in the hands of his god-uncle, thousands of miles away from the surface. And he was unconscious, to top it all.

"Oh? You know of my beloved Yao?" He asked, looking down to the sleeping man in his embrace. He gently brushed away a strand of black hair to get a better look at his peaceful visage.

"Yao-san is the relative of an important friend," Heracles told him.

"I want to know what he's doing in the realm of a god, and with _you_, even. Is he alright?" He gritted his teeth impatiently. "Answer me, Poseidon!"

The older god glanced at him with a lazy frown drawn on his lips.

"All you ask of me are boring questions." He stated dully, turning his attention to his captive once again.

A childish smile rose on his lips as he ran a hand across Yao's cheek.

"But if you wish to know, then I shall tell you. This man here is my beloved, he will stay here forever as my concubine from now on."

The demigod's eyes widened like a pair of saucers.

"_What?_" He exclaimed in disbelief. "What are you talking about? What is your relationship with Yao-san?"

"Why, we're lovers, of course!" Poseidon happily sang.

Heracles paused. He seemed to take the information into a deep consideration.

"If he is really your lover and that he does wish to stay here," He looked at Poseidon suspiciously. "then why is he unconscious? …and what of his family in the surface, if he were to stay here as your concubine? He cannot abandon them."

Upon hearing it, for the first time the older god hesitated when he answered.

"… he is fine. I have not done anything harmful. He is merely sleeping." He told Heracles. "And I do not feel like answering your boring questions, nor do I need to. It is none of your business, dear nephew. You have no reason to interfere."

"Oh, but it is." The younger man retorted. "As I've said. He is the relative someone important to me. I don't want to cause that person unnecessary anxiety."

Poseidon's expression darkened.

"Yao is my lover. He is to be my partner for life." He declared firmly.

"And Yao-san agrees to it?"

The older man suddenly paused for a long time.

"No." He replied. "He has yet to agree to my proposal." He admitted.

Heracles raised an eyebrow.

"Then why-"

"My Yao doesn't understand how much I love him." The tall man interrupted, frowning sadly. "How unfortunate. He keeps on rejecting my proposal. Even though I've loved him for so long. _For so, so long_…" He looked at Yao longingly. His expression softened in sorrow, his eyes lost its light.

But then, all of a sudden, a disturbing smile tugged at the corners of his lips.

" …but it doesn't matter now." He cooed, cradling the smaller man closer to him. His eyes glinted in insanity as he declared,

"Yes, yes! I told myself, 'why must I wait until he agrees to marry me? I am a god! I am far superior! He cannot possibly resist me!' …but Yao is stubborn. So, so stubborn! He said he cannot go with me because he has to be there for those annoying siblings of his! How infuriating! But I love his stubbornness at the same time. I love his kindness, his intelligence, his dedication towards his family… everything! He's so different from the others. So beautiful. So innocent. So noble! Oh, my Yao! How madly in love I am with you…" He wailed.

Something about the way he looked and spoke sent chills up Heracles' spine.

"My kind, beautiful Yao! But I'm a patient man, so I waited. Oh! for two years I waited. Then I asked him again. But he rejected me. Again with the same reason. But I want Yao so badly! _So so badly_. I want nobody else! I didn't want him to hate me, so I waited some more. _For twenty years I waited for him!_ Oh, I waited for so long! Even I am surprised at how dedicated I was. But he always rejected me! _Always!_ All because of those useless, ugly mortals he called 'family'! It's all their fault!" Poseidon barked out angrily, startling the other man. His visage turned monstrous in rage, his breathing ragged.

A bead of cold sweat made its way down Heracles' temples. His throat dry.

Seconds later, Poseidon's expression suddenly relaxed. He calmed down. Yet, he looked lost. As if he had no idea what he was doing. He seemed to have forgotten his rage. Then slowly, a smile bloomed on his lips.

"But it's okay," He murmured softly, his gaze fixated at the unconscious man.

"I decided I wouldn't wait anymore. I told myself, if I want him so much then I should just take him with me. By any means necessary. I'm the great Poseidon! I need nobody's permission. So I went to visit Yao. My dear Yao, he's always at home alone at that hour. There'd be nobody. Nobody to disturb our time together. It was the perfect chance! I asked him again. I asked him to marry me. But before he could say anything, I made him fall asleep and took him here. It's wonderful! We'll be together forever, just the two of us… as the rulers of the seven seas." He sighed happily, completely detached from reality.

A second later his expression turned to worry. "Ah! But whatever should I do? When he awakens, Yao will be furious! What to do? …but I'm sure Yao will understand. He will understand that I love him this much. I will convince him. Yes. Yes, he will understand."

He leaned in to plant soft kisses across Yao's face. Then he withdrew to gaze lovingly at his captive.

"Yao… I love you so much."

This was not something Heracles was prepared for.

He had not expect Poseidon to bring Kiku's older brother back to his palace, nor had he expect Yao to be Poseidon's lover. He also did not know the abnormal obsession- bordering-insanity that he had for Yao, and that he would do something so underhanded to get what he wanted. He certainly was not prepared for such anti-climax. He knew this was not the time to hesitate. His brother trusted him to return with Poseidon's army ready to go at command.

But how could he just leave the sibling of someone dear to him in the hands of an obsessed lunatic? One problem kept popping out after another like he was stuck in a endless loop of bad karma. Heracles suddenly felt he had a chronic headache.

But the clock was ticking.

And he needed to choose.

"Poseidon. I am going to ask of you kindly." Heracles uttered warily, outstretching his hand.

"Please return Yao-san back to his family. I beg of you. It is not right to trick him like this. It's unfair to both Yao-san and his family. He is a very important part of them, and they surely will be saddened by his absence. Please, return him."

Poseidon turned sharply at him. His expression blackened as a savage rage slowly took over his features.

"NEVER! _You will never take him away from me!_" He barked thunderously. He placed Yao on the cushion and stood up, glaring down at the demigod who stood at the end of the stairs. He was so furious his face became beet red.

Pointing a finger at the exit, he roared. "Leave, Heracles! Before I sent you into the depths of the underworld!"

Heracles tightened his lips.

"...I knew you'd say that."

Instead of walking towards the exit like ordered to, Heracles approached the rows of enormous marble pillars at the left side of the room. He gingerly took a brief look at it and then went to circle his arms along the chiseled surface of a gigantic pillar. He took a deep breath and pulled.

The ocean ground shook with a tumultuous noise as Heracles easily snapped the pillar off of the floor and the ceilings. The God of the Oceans gawked at the scene blankly, his rage forgotten and his outstretched arm ignored.

"I haven't done this for a while, my neck feels stiff." He cocked his neck to the right then to the left. He looked up at the stunned god.

"Let's resolve this in the old way, Poseidon. If I win, you'll return Yao-san to his family. If you win, you get what you want and I'll steer out of the way. How's it?"

Upon his proposal, Poseidon broke away from his trance. He blinked a few times.

"Cocky brat. Do you think a half-god who's still sucking on his thumb can defeat me?" An evil smirk slowly creeping its way up to his face. His whole posture suddenly changed, shifted into something more intimidating.

The air around his right hand distorted, then with a flash the Trident had been summoned, snuggling right into its master's grip. With his godly weapon in hand, Poseidon strode confidently down the stairs to face the demigod on the same level. He stood at the centre of the room, about thirty feet away from the Grecian Hero, ready for anything he had for him.

Heracles smiled.

"We'll see."

Then he threw the giant pillar at the expecting man.

With a murmur of a spell from the God of the Oceans, he moved out of the target range in a ghostly movement, letting the enormous boulder passed by him and crashed to the rows of pillars at the other side of the room, knocking them down with a thunderous quake. The debris of the crash flew to many directions while a cloud of dust spread out across the empty space of the room.

Heracles creased his eyebrows in displease. A fight between a sorcerer and a warrior had always been difficult for the latter. He must be in constant alert.

The older man smirked slyly, he raised his trident up and then loosened his grip slightly until the bottom tip of the hilt clanged against the stony floor. The ground shook. Then from where his trident had hit the floor, the floor began snapping open in thin cracks that grew wider, producing a sinister melody.

Heracles leaped out of the way when the ground beneath him began to crumble. He thrust his fist into the wall to hold on as he watched the floor where was standing on had vanished into a large gaping hole. At the bottom of the crater was a pool of bubbling red hot lava, it sizzled ominously as if mocking him. The room's temperature suddenly skyrocketed, the air distorted in heat.

Beads of sweat dripped down his temples as Heracles swallowed.

Poseidon watched the whole scene in glee. Then he gestured Heracles to come at him. Gritting his teeth at the other man's arrogance, Heracles snarled. He'd show him why he was called the greatest grecian hero who'd ever existed!

Heracles readied his feet against the rocky surface and pushed with all of his might. He made a lengthy jump over the lava hole and landed safely on the ground, a few feet away from the destroyed surface. He picked up a random rock off the floor, cautiously locking eyes with the older god. He took a careful step forward. Another. Then another.

He rolled to the right when Poseidon shot three blue-tinted fireballs in his direction. The hem of his sleeve got caught by one of them, burning his skin to a blackened film. Heracles grunted in the heat, but the pain was vague. It was only a slight burn.

Poseidon's stared at him bemusedly.

He raised his trident and murmured something. A dozen of blades appeared out of nowhere right above Heracles' head, in a split second the invincible force that held them was released and the demigod was forced to take a leap backwards to avoid them. Just when he thought he had managed to get away, all of the sudden hundreds of icicles rained down upon him.

With a startle, Heracles held his arms up to shield his body. But it was not enough. Those needle-like ice scratched his skin and tore at his clothes. Heracles bit his lower lip as he stood on his heels, taking the hit directly. When it was over Heracles was covered in flesh wound, small rivulets of blood trickled down the many minor scratches on his body.

"Had enough?" Poseidon cocked a haughty smirk.

Heracles glanced at him blankly. He wiped away a mix of blood and sweat that had dripped down to his left eye.

"Not quite."

Without a warning, he slammed his fist against a nearby pillar. The impact of his stellar strength shook the walls and the ceilings. The row of crystal chandeliers in the ceilings began rattling violently. Then before he knew it, they snapped off of its hinges and fell down to Poseidon who was standing right beneath one of them.

They made a loud screeching noise when it crashed onto the ground. The noise continued as the others fell one after another, the sounds of broken glass resounding throughout the whole room. The grecian avoided some crystal bulbs that flew at him, watching the result of his scheme in uncanny serene.

It was quite a while until the commotion died down.

The smoke of diminished seconds later to reveal the sight of Poseidon. But he was not without any injury. Blood soaked part of his blonde hair crimson, as a stream of those same red liquid flowed from the wound of in his head down to his visage. He had lost half of his thick brown coat in the attack, exposing his right shoulder blade and arm. The rest of his outfit was torn all over.

Poseidon glared at him, panting erratically. While a small smile tugged at the corners of Heracles' lips.

"Now we're even."

A growl was his only reply before another dozen of icicle was sent in his way.

Poseidon was infuriated. He didn't give Heracles even a second of peace and kept hailing spells and hexes at him. The agile demigod kept on ducking and rolling and avoiding everything that was hurled at him, finding himself being cornered. When he realized he had nowhere to run, Heracles climbed up the walls as a shot of lightning nearly roasted his torso.

He took deep breaths as the lightening flickered away, feeling his knuckles numbing. Realizing he couldn't spare a moment of break, he used his legs' strength to leap towards the only chandelier that hadn't crumble down like the others, coincidentally it was also close to where he was. He swiftly grabbed onto the silver chains, landing on uneven footing.

He took a brief glance at the spot he was at and saw it had blackened to a crisp like he had expected. Then he looked down to the extremely irritated god, who seemed to be even more enraged by the fact that he couldn't hit Heracles even once.

Ignoring his opponent's frustrated howl, the Grecian Hero turned his attention to the throne, the only bit in the room still perfectly intact and unharmed. Yao was still unconscious, lying on the silk cushion of the throne. Then he glanced down at the older god again. He had to somehow distract Poseidon long enough to give him the chance to fetch Yao and escape.

_Easier said than done_, he mused as he avoided another blast directed at him.

He broke the chains holding the chandelier and jumped off before it hit the ground. When he rolled across the room in a bad landing, he was vulnerable when a big fireball flew towards him. Realizing it was too late to duck, Heracles had to receive the attack head on. He used both of his hands to hold off the scorching ball of fire, feeling the excruciating heat melting the skin of his palms. The force of the blast nearly knocked him backwards.

He clenched his jaws and planted his feet firmly to the floor. With all his might he pushed until the fireball lost its heat. But instead of vanishing it suddenly exploded, sending the hero crashing against the wall.

The crash made a large dent on the wall, dust gathering in the impact.

Heracles coughed frantically. Both of his hands burned and his entire body screamed pain. His head felt like it would explode. He panted hoarsely, tumbling forward. The dust went to his lungs and into his wounds, making him feel worse than he already did. But he was still strong enough, his mind refusing to give in. He stood up with slight shake in his knees.

Growling begrudgingly at his much taller opponent, he wiped away the blood trickling down his nose with a soiled knuckle. His lips cut. His right eye swollen. He was in a mess. His soiled white shirt had burnt holes and soaked in sweat. His jeans were torn and the palms of his hands the color of charcoal.

He noticed a pile of giant rubbles of marble pillars gathered at a corner a few feet away from him. Heracles sprinted towards them, but Poseidon was able to read his intentions and had started hurling a few more balls of flame.

Heracles gasped and rolled back twice when some of those fireballs nearly scorched him to ashes, leaving an ugly blackish red mark on his left bicep. Heracles groaned in pain. But he had managed to catch a hold of some watermelon-sized boulders. Wasting no time, the Grecian Hero used his super strength to throw them at the enemy. The boulders were flown in such power, that they instantly turned to giant rock bullets.

This time Poseidon was slow in reacting. A boulder managed to penetrate his defense, hitting him square in the head.

That man stumbled back in the impact, leaving him in a vulnerable state. It seemed the bash was stronger than he'd thought. He looked disoriented. Taking this as a chance, Heracles put all of what remained in his body to run towards the throne. Poseidon was half-aware of this, but he was too late; the Grecian Hero had managed to slip by him and he sprinted towards the throne to snatch away the unconscious man.

As soon as he had gotten Yao in his possession, Heracles knew he had to flee quickly.

He held the much smaller man close with his right arm, while the other went to reach the floor. Heracles took a sharp intake and clenched his jaw. Then he jabbed his fingers into the rough crease of the stone flooring until the surface cracked and his limbs could dig under the five-by-five meters square-shaped stone platform.

Bluish green veins popped along his straightened limbs and his face reddened as he lifted, taking the stone platform with him with one hand. He felt his nails popped out in result but chose to ignore it.

Poseidon watched in complete astonishment as Heracles held part of the flooring over his head, sweat dripping down his temples furiously. The grecian man panted hoarsely as he positioned himself, hoping his burnt arm wouldn't give away.

Poseidon finally snapped out of his fascination, taking a step back. He quickly retreated from Heracles' sight. But the demigod was too fast.

A thunderous noise shook the entire underwater palace. A mist of dust rose from the impact of the crash, shrouding the entire room. Heracles didn't know whether his attack hit the target or not, but he was not going to such a good chance pass him by. While Poseidon was blinded within the screen of dust, he made a run for it.

As he had just dashed out of the room, he saw Poseidon's army of mermen was marching from the other side of the hall.

"Shit," Heracles cursed.

He leaped sideways to avoid a bunch of spears thrown in his way, careful to get Yao out of harm. One of the soldier screamed for the others to charge at him, alerting the grecian to quickly think of an alternative. While trying to avoid the army's attacks, Heracles's sprinted to the other side of the hallway.

An arrow flown to his head and the grecian man leaped out of the way, but a sudden pain in his leg nearly made him stumble.

"Hngh!" Heracles glanced down to the source of the pain and found out an arrow had made its way through his right shins, forcing him on his knees. Fresh blood came out of the gaping wound, making a tiny red pool on the cold surface of the stony floor.

_This is bad_, he mused. More droplets of sweat trickled down his visage, dripping down from his jaws.

With his mobility reduced to one limb and exhaustion started taking a toll on him, Heracles had to change strategies to defense; protecting Yao and himself instead.

He picked a bunch of small rocks and started flicking them at the soldiers who tried to get close to the two. The stone bullets managed to pierce through several parts of their body and caused serious injuries. Anyone who came close within twenty feet was struck down mercilessly.

Realizing they were at a disadvantage, they stayed away for the moment. But Heracles knew this truce was temporary. Either they would come up with a better strategy, or Poseidon would make a comeback. If another reinforcement came into the picture, that would be bad too. He was losing more and more options.

And with a crippled leg, an exhausted and badly injured body, he clearly in the disadvantage.

_I need to at least get Yao-san out of here!_ Heracles decided, turning his attention to Yao.

"Yao-san. Yao-san. Please wake up, Yao-san."

He tried shaking the smaller man and calling him repeatedly, switching his attention back and forth between Yao and his enemies. He flicked the leg of a soldier who tried his luck.

After shaking him rather frantically, the chinese man began to stir in his embrace. Yao wrinkled his closed eyes, furrowing his eyebrows. He looked drowsy and completely oblivious to his surroundings. Yawning tiredly, Yao tried to rub away the sleepiness from his eyes.

"…huuuuh? Whaaaaat? What time is it…? Yong Soo, wake up… it's time for school…"

He turned to Heracles and slap his cheek gently.

"Yao-san. I'm not Yong Soo. My name is Heracles." The grecian calmly informed him.

Yao tilted his head to one side, slowly opening his eyes. "….nnnuuuh? What are you talking about, Hong? Why did you sound so-"

He blinked several times.

Yao's body tensed and his back stiffened. He snapped his head back and forth, settling his gaze to the grecian man. Then as if to make sure, his hands reached to pat all over Heracles' head. After a while, it finally came down to him.

"…wait. You're Kiku's friend, are you not? …what's going on? Where am I?" He looked more confused than surprised.

"I'd like to give you an explanation, Yao-san. But I'm afraid that has to wait."

Heracles leaped sideways to avoid an incoming spear, taking the throughly shocked Yao with him.

"…ugh." Heracles winced when the wound on his thigh stung at him like an angry bitch. He flicked the soldier who'd thrown the spear and the merman went down as soon as the rock hit his forehead.

Meanwhile, Yao was gaping at the arrow that had pierced through his flesh. "wh-wh-wh" When he looked up and took in the sight of the foreign place he was currently in while a bunch of (what he could only perceived as) monsters was crowding not very far away from the two of them, he was rendered utterly speechless.

While Heracles understood his predicament, he needed Yao to listen to him.

"Yao-san. I know this situation is rather… baffling, I would like you to calm down. Because you're going to be alright." Heracles said as he watched the enemies closely, tightening his grip on the human. Then he turned to Yao again.

"I will tell you how to escape this place. I need you to go alone. Don't worry about me. I will be fine on my own." Heracles fished something out of his jeans pocket, then he proceeded to place the item onto Yao's hand.

The chinese man glanced to his palm and saw a silver penny in his possession.

"Hermes' Coin. If you swallow it, you will instantly relocate to any place you've been to. Think of your home as you swallow to make it work, it's that simple." He explained.

"B-but you-what about _you_?"

"I only have one coin left, Yao-san." Heracles impassively informed him.

Yao stared at him. He began noticing Heracles' state for the first time.

Beside that arrow on in his leg, other parts of his body suffered minor burns. A thick trail of blood was streaming down the side of his head. His attire was torn and burnt lightly. Dozens of tiny wounds were decorating his whole body. His hands were blackened and the left one looked especially roasted. Yao winced when he realized fingernails were falling off of the tips of his hands.

"…you're injured." He stated matter-of-factly.

"I'm aware." The demigod nodded, watching warily at the enemy should they attempt something else. "But I'll be okay. Please, go on without me."

Heracles expected the human to obey his instruction, but instead the asian man stood up without warning, alerting the grecian god. "Yao-san?" He called out bewildered when Yao made a beeline towards a spear that was planted firmly into the floor.

Without a word, Yao pulled out the spear, then he turned around and walked over to stand in front of the curious grecian. His posture suddenly changed.

"Don't underestimate an old man, youngster." He told the other man.

Heracles' brown eyes widened when the human sent the spear flying at one of the merman, piercing his shoulder with a dull thump and pained scream. The grecian looked up at the much smaller man in astonishment. The man in question had a look of accomplishment plastered on his face.

Yao turned to him.

"Do you think I'd leave you alone in such a state? Don't joke with me! I am not as weak as you think I am!" He scolded him. "I _am not_ going to leave you until we're out of this-I don't what this place is, but _I'm not leaving until your wounds are tended to_. And you cannot make me go. Am I _understood_, young man?"

Heracles blinked.

"Yes, sir."

"Good."

Yao crouched to his levee, then flung Heracles' burned arm over his shoulders. Poseidon's army tensed as they began to move, but after Heracles started flicking stones at them again they retreated. Yao didn't ask how he could do such a thing. He looked like he'd made up his mind that nothing could surprise him more than a bunch of grotesque mermen.

They moved slowly. Yao was trying not to worsen his condition, but Heracles felt they were much too slow. His injuries had become a burden and Yao was too stubborn to be convinced that Heracles would be fine. He knew he would most likely be tortured if he were captured, yet he knew Poseidon wouldn't dare to kill him. Zeus would be furious. Heracles knew he'd survive in the end.

But how to explain that to this man? He wasn't sure whether Poseidon had told him anything.

"Yao… you're awake."

Heracles was caught in surprise. He looked up only to see the last person he wanted to encounter at that moment; Poseidon.

_Oh shit._

Yao creased his eyebrows in confusion.

"Ivan…? What are you doing here? Why are you in such a mess?"

Glancing at the asian man, Heracles suddenly got an idea. Perhaps it was worth a try.

"Yao-san… this is the man who has brought you here." He told him. Poseidon twitched when a look of realization hit Yao in the face.

The asian man lowered his chin in thought, muttering to himself. "…I remember." He uttered. "I was at home. Kiku was sleeping upstairs, he just took his medicine. I went down to the kitchen, and then…"

He didn't continue his statement, the wrinkle between his eyebrows grew deeper and deeper. He seemed to have been recalling what happened before he woke up finding himself in a strange situation. Poseidon looked visibly nervous. Heracles stared at him bemusedly.

He approached the two slowly, hands gesturing wildly in panic.

"Y-Yao… I can explain…"

"Did you," Came a deep voice from the smaller man. He ginger lifted his chin to look at the anxious man. "Did you really _drug_ me so you _could_ _kidnap_ me and _bring_ me here?" He pressed a tone lower than the rest for every key words.

Poseidon stiffened. His face bleached.

"I'm afraid that is correct, Yao-san." The grecian hero nodded twice.

"I tried to reason with him and _begged_ him to let you go. But apparently my uncle was too stubborn. He did not only refuse to listen to me, but he also became violent at the very idea. I managed to get you out, but he had his… _pets_ attack me. It was brutal." He feigned a sad, tired sigh.

Yao gawked at him in disbelief.

"_You caused his injuries? _I can't believe this! Kidnapping me is one thing, but _harming an innocent person for that_? How can you do such a thing?" The taller man flinched at Yao's high-pitched shout, taking a step back. But Yao wasn't done yet. "And even when he is your _nephew_? I… I am at lost of words, Ivan!"

"B-but he started it!" Poseidon directed an accusing finger at Heracles, who was still playing the role of a victim.

"Not buts!" Yao exclaimed in fury, veins popping in his temples.

"I can explain!"

"Damn right you should! Tell me _one_ good reason _why_ _I shouldn't kick your sorry ass right now!_"

Despite the excruciating pain in his wounds, Heracles couldn't help but to let an evil smirk rose on his lips. That one did not escape Poseidon's attention.

"_He's smirking!_ Can't you see that he's only pretending to appear weak?"

He was begging desperately.

"How can he pretend to be weak? _He's bleeding all over the place!_"

But Yao wouldn't give him a break.

_This is very interesting_. Heracles thought bemusedly. Oh, how the table had turned.

"I don't care! I am very disappointed, Ivan! I'm having a hard time believing anything you say right now." Yao scolded the defeated man.

Poseidon looked heartbroken. "But…"

"Another time, Ivan! I will listen to your excuses later. First go fetch a doctor for this young man, quickly! Can't you see he needs help?"

Without having to be told twice, Poseidon stormed off. He dismissed his army and ordered them to get medical supplies at once. Heracles got a good feeling he had gotten a hold of the Great Poseidon's weakness.

* * *

When Heracles finally reached their meeting place, the sun had already set.

His wounds had been properly tended to and he also had changed clothes. Poseidon had healed most of the exterior wounds, especially the burns in his hands and his pierced leg. However he didn't heal them completely and had to leave some of the wounds intact as not to shock his human lover. It would be extremely suspicious if Heracles were to heal so fast in just a matter of hours.

Though Heracles had a good guess Poseidon did it gladly out scorn.

In the end, he still had his hands and arm bandaged, as well as his head, leg and torso. The scratches that covered his face and neck were now merely thin lines. His cut lips had stopped bleeding too. When Heracles entered the cafe they were supposed to meet in, he accidentally bumped into another customer because his swollen eye was plastered. He had to apologize to the person he bumped to.

Inside the coffee shop, he saw Hermes waving his hand at him. He nodded once and walked over towards a table by the window, he noticed there were four people in the table. It looked like Hermes had brought Athena along to their little party. She was dressed casually, unlike her usual gowns. Heracles rose an intrigued brow when he saw Ares and Hephaestus sat next to each other, speaking to each other in a friendly manner.

Arthur lifted his gaze when Heracles had approached the table, cocking an eyebrow up at him.

"What happened to you?" He pointed out at the bandages the grecian was wearing.

"Funny story; something unexpected happened during my visit." He took a seat in an empty chair.

Hermes looked at him up and down.

"Did you fall down a flight of stairs or something?"

Heracles was agreeing to to the waiter's offer for a glass of water. "Something like that." He answered dully.

"I had a battle with Poseidon."

Ares spilled his tea while the others turned his head towards the grecian hero.

"You _what_?"

"Why did you and Poseidon fight?" Athena gasped.

"… impressive. You survived."

"_What_ the hell did _you_ do?"

With so many questions directed at him at once, Heracles didn't know which one he should answer first. He purposely coughed to divert the subject of conversation. "Anyways, rather than talking about me, let's talk about the plan." He said. "I've gained Poseidon's cooperation. Now what?"

All of them went silent.

"'Now what' is a good question. Where do we start?" Hermes rubbed his chin in taught.

Ares put down his cup of tea.

"We should probably think of the places Matthias soul could've gone into. Somewhere familiar, perhaps?"

"That is a good thinking!" Athena clapped her hands. "Perhaps the spirit longs for places it has emotional attachments with. Like a childhood home for example."

"My spouse and I brought Matthias from an orphanage in Denmark. We used to live in that country before we came here." Hephaestus said. "But Denmark is very far away. He was still very small when we took him with us. I don't know whether he still remembers it or not."

"It might also be in your current home." Ares pointed. "Or at school. Or maybe a place he frequently visits to hang out?"

"…we've also moved around a couple of times before we settled down five years ago."

"Oh my, this is difficult." Athena uttered.

Ares bit his lower lip. "Too many places to consider. We don't have that much time."

"If we use my winged sandals, we can get to those places fast!"

Athena shook her head lightly.

"The problem is, we're not sure whether the soul really hides there."

"…hmm. Why don't you use the pendulum on a map like you always do, Lady Athena?"

Heracles suggested.

Heads turned to the goddess, who had a look of realization dawned on her. "Oh yes! I may use my pendulum!" She exclaimed. "How silly! I almost forgot." She reached for her Chanel bag and started ruffling the insides.

"Nice thinking, Heracles." Ares complimented. "I've completely forgotten about that myself."

Athena pulled out a diamond-shaped glass pendulum with chain string attached to it. "Does anyone have a map?"

"The city map, the country map or the world map?" Hermes asked her, fetching his traveling rucksack.

"Let's start with the city map, then."

Hermes handed the map of the city to the goddess, who then proceeded to spread the map across the table. Heracles vaguely wondered that Hermes seemed to have a lot of useful gadgets when related to traveling. They were just a little too convenient. But then again, he was the Messenger of the Gods. He was always well-equipped for traveling.

Athena clasped the pendulum in her hands and started murmuring a prayer or a spell. By the time she finished, the glass head glowed faintly. Then she held up her fist on the map, the chains coiled around her fingers. He dropped the pendulum and moved them slowly across the map, halting her movement every once in a while.

All of them watched in wonder as Athena worked her way from coast to coast, fully concentrating.

A few minutes passed. Athena's pendulum still hadn't given any clue to Matthias' whereabouts, although she had checked every nook and cranny several times over. The goddess then withdrew her tool, creasing her eyebrows in thought.

"It doesn't seem like this spirit is anywhere in the city." She finally declared.

Hephaestus bit his lip.

"Could it be somewhere else? The neighboring city, perhaps?" Ares pointed out. Then he turned to Hermes. "Hermes, give sister Athena the map of the country."

The Messenger of nodded and handed the map over to her. Athena then set the second layer of map over the first. Holding the glass pendulum over the map, Athena closed her eyes and prayed. The glass once again glowed, brighter than before. Then she started again, putting more concentration this time. Because the map of a country is extensive and less detailed, it took longer to properly check the areas.

Still, even after twenty minutes of searching, Athena's pendulum didn't give away any reaction whatsoever. The goddess looked a bit upset as she finished checking after the third time with the map of the country. She chewed on her lips in contemplation, staring tentatively at the map. Hephaestus looked restless. He looked understandably worried.

"… not even in the country…" Ares uttered, staring at the map. "Has Matthias' soul stranded so far away? Is it on land, or in the oceans?" He uttered thoughtfully.

"It would be more difficult if he'd been in a place we don't even know." Heracles stated blankly.

Hermes looked anxious.

"Where could he be? Don't tell it just disappeared like I thought!" He paled at the thought.

"No. Don't be silly. The soul of a human is an entity of the nature. For it to just disappear without a trace is impossible." The God of War reprimanded.

"There's still one more map to go." Heracles pointed out. "We can at least know which country the soul gets stranded to. Then we can narrow it down from there."

"Heracles has a point." Hephaestus concurred. "Could you please try finding my son one more time, my dear Athena? I beg of you." He sincerely pleaded to the goddess.

Athena almost burst into tears at his pleading. "But of course I will! Do not worry, my brother. We shall find your beloved child." She cooed.

Hephaestus smiled in gratitude. "Thank you, Athena. I am forever in your debt."

With that said, They decided to give it one more try. Hermes pulled out the scroll of the world map and gave it to Athena, who spread the map over the second layer. The gods watched with batted breath as the goddess repeated the ritual for the umpteenth time.

They spent another hour trying to locate the soul of the young Matthias. They checked every country, every land, every ocean and every island. But to no avail, they still couldn't find him. Ares was getting impatient and frustrated, while Hephaestus seemed desperate. Hermes was also worried, but for a whole other reason.

"This is impossible!" Ares exclaimed exasperatedly, running a hand up blonde fringe. "How can this be? We checked everywhere possible. But to no avail!"

"It can't be…" Hermes murmured, his paled face had became ghostly white. "Did the soul really cease to exist? It vanished?"

"I do not know, dear Hermes." Athena replied, exhausted. "My pendulum has never failed me. It bears my powers as a goddess as I uses it. If it cannot find the soul, then I cannot as well."

Hephaestus was strangely silent. A darkened shadow hung over his visage.

Heracles in the other hand, was completely calm.

"This is interesting." He declared. "Could it be that the soul truly, no longer exists in this world?"

Ares lifted his chin at this. "_Not in this world…?_" He repeated the line, turning his head towards the goddess.

"Sister Athena, could it be that you could not locate the existence of Matthias soul because it's no longer in _this_ _world_?"

She blinked a few times, before really getting it into her head. "Oh my." She uttered in a comprehension.

"What? What are you two talking about?" Hermes turned his head back and forth in confusion.

The previously silent Hephaestus lifted his chin, gazing at his siblings.

"It's true. It is possible that the cause, is because the soul is no longer within the world of the living. Then if it is… chances are, that child's soul must've gone to the land of the dead." Athena explained.

The rest of them gasped.

"The underworld…" Heracles clenched his jaw, as if something vile touched his tongue.

Ares swallowed the bile in his throat.

"Hades' territory. I've feared this…"

Hermes looked like he was about to faint at any given time.

Hephaestus stared at his lap, eyes wide. "… Matthias…"

Athena looked at them worriedly.

Ares huffed a deep sigh.

"This doesn't get any easier…"

* * *

TBC

* * *

A/N: I haven't proof-read this chapter. I think I need a beta-reader to proof the previous chapters as well. Anyone interested, just PM me! ;3

And please do review and tell me what you think! :)


	17. Just the Two of Us

A/N: Sorry I haven't updated sooner! I was on a vacation for 2 weeks and I am now a bit busy with my own little projects. :-x As some of you have known, beside writing, I am mostly focusing myself on my studies as an art student and as an illustrator-to-be.

Recently I've been trying to display my works publicly on some sites. I've created a deviantArt page to do just that. If you wanna check them out, see:

** : / / nazonaro . deviantart . com**

I don't display any writings there, though. Just some original illustrations. Give some love there if you don't mind! :-*

Anyways! Enough with my ramblings (and shameless promotion :P) March on to the story~

NOTE: To avoid confusion, I will tell you that there's a huge time difference between the underworld and the earth. For example, a full day on the earth may mean that two weeks have gone by in Hades' realm. And there isn't a clear indication of time (like day and night). From the time Mathias was knocked into coma and Ares' team readying to save him I think about one and half day has passed by.

This chapter is dedicated to telling Mathias and Hades' side story.

* * *

**Chapter Seventeen: Just the Two of Us**

Mathias had no idea what he had gotten himself into this time.

As if being told that he was dead wasn't shocking enough, he was stranded in someplace that resembled a horror movie at best. The stranger (who was really _cute _and looked nothing as old as the way he spoke) that he met in his desperation to find a way home turned out to be some kind of the lord of the land. So maybe it wasn't so bad.

No. What the heck was he thinking? There was nothing good about being dead and being thrown into the land of the dead as a rock solid proof of his departure from the world of the living. Ack! Even Mathias couldn't understand why he could still be optimistic in such gloomy times. His parents raised him too well.

Shocked, angry and saddened, the clueless Mathias didn't have other choice but to accept the stranger's offer of accommodation and protection. He wasn't going to refuse after being told that ghosts and monsters would be coming after his ass for being 'too special' for his own good. That just seemed to be the smart thing to do.

But now he wasn't so sure.

"This is where you will be staying."

The butler, who looked like Jack Skellington from the Nightmare Before Christmas movie, told Mathias after he escorted him into his assigned bedroom.

Having yet to recover from his previous awe of the palace (and its rather uncannily funny-looking residents), Mathias was once again amazed by how luxurious his accommodation turned out to be.

Back when he first saw the giant meteor-like island floating in the middle of the hellish city, he hadn't expect that it was actually a palace disguised as a flying, menacing-looking colossal piece of rock. And he _certainly_ hadn't expected the inside of the said rock to be _colossal_ in terms of decorations and such either.

A gothic cathedral. Mathias decided. It was like entering the Catholic cathedral in Vatican that he and his family visited about three years ago. The ceilings were very, very high that someone could probably fit an entire airplane inside. Every inch of the walls, pillars, ceilings and floors were chiseled and carved in exquisite details. The walls were decorated with beautiful paintings and tapestries. Two rows of ominous sets or armors stood in perfect unison at the either side of the hallways. The surface of the armors reflected the light of the torches like mirrors. Every room and corridor they passed by were equally as astounding and filled to the brim with so many exquisite works of art, they made Mathias felt dizzy.

"Welcome to my home, Mathias." Hades welcomed him when they reached the common room.

He then went to a throne-like sofa by the fireplace, taking a graceful seat on it while Mathias stood dumbly by the grandiose two-leaf door. Just as he was standing there dumbfounded, two servants in suit popped out of nowhere and closed the door behind him, startling Mathias in the process. He gave out a loud yelp when he realized that those servants were monsters!

…wait, noooo. He was wrong. They had human bodies, but with insect heads attached to their shoulders. One was a mantis and the other was a fly, complete with its long hairy snout. The sight was just so disturbing.

Just when he thought his heart couldn't take any more surprises, Mathias swore he heard Hades chuckled.

"Come, Mathias. Take a seat." Hades said, gesturing towards a similar-looking chair right across of his. He was as emotionless as ever. Mathias must had heard wrong.

Mathias obeyed and took a seat. Hades was silent all the while, staring at him intensely. The human boy was beginning to feel uncomfortable being subjected to such intense gaze fixed on him. He wondered what was on the other man's mind. It was almost impossible to tell what he was thinking - being expressionless most of the time. Mathias tried hard to guess. But he couldn't figure it out after all.

"Uuuh… so, a very nice home ya got there."

Mathias hoped to start a conversation, his eyes scanning throughout the room and its impressive setting. He peeked a little at Hades, who seemed to follow his previous gaze around the room.

Mathias cleared his throat. "It's very cozy."

And it did.

Compared to the gloomy hallway filled with menacing-looking sets of armors and statues earlier, the common room had a very warm feeling to it. Like home. Like a _very expensive_ home, but comfortable. There were fireplace pleasantly warming the room, a bunch of fluffy sofas in red velvet covers, books set tidily in the bookshelves, there were some photographs displayed in a corner and a vase of fresh white lilies was laid on the coffee table. It was a comfortable feeling.

As he stared at the flowers, Mathias realized that he didn't find any flowers in the other rooms he passed by. They were a simple feminine touch in the nature-deprived lavish milieu.

"I am glad you think so."

Hades' voice cracked his deep thoughts.

Mathias gave him a sincere smile in return.

Determined to break the ice, Mathias continued. "You know, I've never been in such an awesome place! I did once, but it was a Vatican Cathedral. You know cathedral? It's a place for paying honor to Jesus and praying."

The smaller man nodded twice in reply. Even though Hades didn't talk much in return, he listened closely to what Mathias said. The positive reaction encouraged him further.

His gaze went up and stared adoringly across the room, an awed smile tugged at the corners of his lips. "This is room is really beautiful. I can't believe this is real." He breathed, unaware that Hades was silently observing him instead of what he was looking at.

Mathias talked more about his family trip to the Italy. He was very enthusiastic and told his stories with a broad grin on his face. Hades listened with a poker expression, nodding every once in a while. He also talked about his best friend Alfred, telling Hades all of their misadventures together since they were younger. Mathias was truly enjoying himself.

" - and we were screwed. The teacher caught us in the act and we both got detentions for the whole month for TP-ing the mean bastard's office." He laughed mischievously at the memory.

"My parents were _furious_. They gave me a two-hour lecture before grounding me for another month. The looks on their faces were just - "

Mathias froze, a look of realization came down to him. Hades noticed the drastic change on the boy's visage, a moment ago he was happy and enthusiastic but now he looked crestfallen and quiet. His eyes were downcast. His back hunched as his expression sunk deeper. His eyebrows creased in sadness. His smile had fallen long ago, replaced by a stiff thin line.

He seemed to notice Hades' silent question when they gazes met.

"Ah, sorry." He gave a nervous laugh that clearly betrayed him. Then his laughter died down as quickly as it rose. Mathias looked at his feet, his dirty shoes reflected the dancing lights of the fireplace coarsely, contrasting with the clean well-groomed carpet underneath them. Then the sight strangely began to blur.

It took seconds for Mathias to realize tears were welling up in his eyes. Embarrassed, he turned away from Hades' gaze. A hand pinched the bridge of his nose in a futile attempt to drain the tears. But they just wouldn't stop, to his frustration.

"I'm sorry." He choked, his voice breaking a little. He couldn't bear the intensity Hades' unreflective eyes gave him. "I'm just - sorry." He tried to further hide himself by turning to one side completely.

Thankfully, Hades understood and chose not to say anything to Mathias' relief. He then decided Mathias must be exhausted from the journey and called his butler to escort him to his bedroom.

…which brought us to his current state.

The painfully skinny butler brought him to a room that Mathias could only perceive as a 'five-star vintage French hotel bedroom'. The room wasn't that big, but sumptuous still. It was nothing less of what he'd expected from having seen some of the rooms in the palace, however he still couldn't help but to be awed. Standing retarded wide-eyed while dumbly opening his mouth kind of awed.

The only thing that snap him awake again was the skeletal butler excusing himself from the room. Mathias was left alone unsure of what to do.

Hesitantly, he threw his gaze around the unfamiliar room. There was a queen-sized bed at one side of the room clad in burgundy-colored bedding, a beautiful golden vanity table set across of it, a wooden drawer by the bedside and a rather large wardrobe that took some space nearby the entrance. There were some antique furnishings to fill the rest of the place although the room was more simplified than the rest of the palace, particularly because it gave a more… private sort of feeling, because of the numerous portraits gracing the walls.

It smelled good too.

Mathias approached the dressing table set and saw the reflection of the entire room as well as his own in the three vanity mirrors. He noticed there were a few bottles of what he thought as cosmetic products lying tidily on the table. One was a bottle of perfume half-full of pink liquid. He gingerly ran a finger through the surface. There wasn't a speck of dust. So did the other furniture. They were wiped to perfection that some remains of oil still lingered.

Strange. He thought this was a guest room. Maybe the servants had prepared the room before he arrived? It was almost like Hades had been expecting his arrival.

He turned and saw a similar vase of white lilies stood gracefully on the bedside drawer. They were still fresh, hinted in tiny droplets of dew still clinging to its petals. There was also a small palm-sized photograph by the vase. Curious, Mathias took it into his hand. It was a portrait of a pretty young woman.

Even though the photo was black and white, he could tell that she was beautiful. She had a light-colored wavy hair that went just above her milk-colored shoulders, wearing a set of jewelry thad adored her neck. She wore a vintage dress with a plunging neckline, showing off her cleavage in tasteful manner. A glistening headdress laid on top of her crown gracefully. She was not that beautiful, but very very cute, Mathias decided. She looked like she was of his age too.

He wondered who this girl was. He looked over the wall and saw her in every photographs hanging there, there was a picture of someone else too. There was another light-haired lady who was taller and seemed a little older than she, and she bore such deep cleavage lines that made Mathias felt his face heat up by the size of those _knockers_. Maybe she was the girl's sister?

And he unmistakably saw Hades too in one of the photographs. They were standing next to each other. She was wearing a flowing white dress and he was in suit. She was looking at the camera and smiled, while Hades was staring at her instead with a thin smile that clearly written happiness. Such an intimate scene. Almost like a wedding photo. Something clicked into Mathias' head.

She must be his wife.

But then… did that mean this was her bedroom?

Judging from the private possessions placed all over the room, there was no way this was for a guest. When Mathias opened the wardrobe he found plenty of dresses and woman clothing to proof his suspicion. Closing the wardrobe, Mathias couldn't help but to wonder. Hades did tell him that his wife was no longer here. Maybe she had passed away?

…wait, there's something wrong about that logic. This was the underworld! The world of the dead! If this was the afterworld then… she couldn't have left even if she died. Mathias was dead too and that was the reason why he was there in the first place.

The more he thought about it, the more he confused himself.

Too tired to think, Mathias sat on the edge of the bed, sighing. He flopped down onto the cushions with spread arms, staring at the dark ceilings.

"Who am I kidding. Why should I care about someone else's problem when I have my own issues to deal with?" He spoke to nobody in particular. His voice resounded, as if mocking him.

He turned his body, holding a hand up to his eye level.

"Father… dad… Al… everyone… I wonder what you're doing right now." He uttered softly. "The school. What about the basketball seasons? …I guess Louis can substitute for me. Sumer vacation's coming up, too. I was so looking forward to it. Dad said… we're going to Australia this time…"

His jaw tightened.

"…I wonder… if you're all sad that I'm gone?"

A drop of tear fell onto his cheek, making a trail across the bridge of his nose. Mathias creased his eyebrows.

"Shit."

* * *

Mathias woke up a long while later with a slight headache gnawing at his temples. At first he didn't realize where he was and had thought he was in his own bedroom back at home. He half-opened his eyes and looked around until he caught an unfamiliar sight and smell. Then he remembered.

"Oh yeah… I'm dead."

There was something ironically funny about that statement.

He languidly sat up. His mind was still drowsy and his eyes heavy. What a strange feeling. So even when you're dead you still need sleep. Mathias briefly wondered what more trivia he'd uncover as he spent more time being a spirit. Agh, there went the headache again.

"I wonder if I slept too long," He uttered softly, messaging the back of his head.

Mathias' drowsy gaze wandered across the room wantonly while trying to fully awake his mind. The room smelled like fresh flowers. It relaxed despite the whole scenery being completely stranger to him. Staring into space, he wondered how long he'd slept. What time was it? Was it morning or night? He sought the answer by turning his head towards a window by the dressing table that was bound by thick champagne-colored curtains.

He stood up then walked towards the window. He brought his hands to the middle where the two pieces of the fabric met before pushing them apart at either sides. The first thing that entered his line of sight is the sea of flames that circled around the city of the dead far in the horizons, then the sights of the black city from far above. A long, stretched abyss lied right beneath the palace, something pale white was moving from deep within it.

Something was writhing in agony. Mathias peered in to get a better look.

Then he realized those_ things_ looked like… human faces and limbs.

A sudden sense of mortification washed over him and he felt heat drained from his face at the sight of it. Mathias fisted the curtains and pulled them close abruptly. Beads of cold sweat dripped down his temples.

Okay, so peeking outside was a huge mistake.

After a few minutes he finally calmed down. He left the bound window alone completely and took a few steps back. He breathed long and deeply to regain his composure. From what he saw, the light of the day didn't seem to change from what he'd seen at the first time. Maybe he had just slept for an hour? He didn't know how things usually work in this odd place.

Scratching the back of his neck, Mathias decided maybe he should go talk to someone about it. But then he halted. He pondered what he should do know that he was dead and now in a strange palace Hades invited him into. What was he supposed to do? Where should he be going? Heck, he thought death was the end of everything problems included, but it actually gave him more and more to deal with.

"No use beating myself over it," He told himself, thinking. "…I guess I should go thank Hades for letting me use the room."

Having made up his mind, Mathias proceeded walking towards the entrance to leave. He was about to step out, then he shrieked and jumped a few inches off the ground when the sight of a ghost entering his line of vision. With the image of the abyss of tormented souls still fresh in his mind, Mathias whole body shook violently for the upcoming horror.

"I apologize for startling you, sir. I do not mean to."

The so called 'ghost' spoke politely while bowing slightly to him.

Mathias blinked.

…wait. It wasn't a ghost or a monster. It was the butler that looked like Jack Skellington. That made him a ghost of some sort, but that wasn't the point. At least this one wouldn't try to gobble him up right?

Embarrassed that he was caught in an embarrassing pose, Mathias cleared his throat. He felt his face heating up. The butler didn't seem to take a pity on him - though being skeletal, of course Mathias couldn't tell at all.

"Um, uh. No need to apologize. I was too paranoid - no, actually, I'm not used to… your appearance and all." He laughed nervously. "No hard feelings though! I, you know… um new to this."

"Understandable." The butler nodded. "Now that you have awaken, I would like to inform you that I have been commended to take care of your needs during your stay in the palace. Please feel free to ask anything of me. My name is Julius. It is a pleasure meeting you." He bowed slightly again.

"Aah… I'm Mathias. Just call me Matt. And same to you too." Mathias bowed awkwardly in return.

"Oh yeah, uh. Do you know how long I slept? What time is right now?" He asked.

"Yes, sir Mathias." Julius nodded. "I believe you have slept for the half a day and the hour now is the seventh."

Mathias' eyes bulged.

"Th-the entire day? _I slept that long?_"

"I assumed you were exhausted."

He didn't know he'd even fallen asleep! But that wasn't important now. "…seventh. Did you mean it's morning now?" He asked again.

The butler cocked his head to one side. "I believe I do not understand what you mean, sir. The seventh hour is the seventh hour, it is as it is."

Mathias raised an eyebrow.

"…you know, morning? Afternoon, evening, night? Dawn and dusk?"

But the skeletal creature shook his head. "I do not understand the things that you mention, sir. Is that something of your language?"

Mathias stared at him in disbelief. It would appear that the concept of time here was different. …then again, if he had slept for half a day, why did the city outside didn't seem to change. He had thought it was the afternoon before he arrived at the palace, had he slept of half a day, then logically it would've been night by now. But it was still bright outside, in the scarlet colors of the flaming sunset.

Then he'd realized.

There was no sun or sky, the desolated ceilings of the city was covered in thick brown grayish cloud. He realized maybe the only thing lighting up the entire place was the sea of flames that encircled the land of the dead. The underworld had no sun like the earth. Then… this was truly, really another dimension entirely.

Mathias gulped.

He wasn't sure if he wanted to know more; he was scared.

"There is no need to worry, sir Mathias." Julius said in a tone that was close to comforting. "Lord Hades has ensured your safety within the castle walls. As long as you do not try to step out, we will do our utmost best to keep you safe." He assured.

Julius' assurance gave Mathias a sense of comfort. The butler then gave him a brief explanation on how to summon him, including giving Mathias a gold ring adorned in small round jades along the rom of the band. It was quite big. He couldn't fit it to his any of his fingers but the right thumb. Julius instructed Mathias he only needed to call his name to call him - which the boy thought was weird but accepted anyway. Then Julius proceeded to escort him to the common room. Mathias was half-expecting to meet Hades there, when he found nobody was there.

"Lord Hades has left earlier. He has informed me to open the common room and the library for you to entertain yourself until his return." The butler guided him a door across the room, pushing it open.

"The library is open for you next door. There is also a study room if you wish to use the pens and papers. You're free to do as you please. And please don't hesitate to call me when you need anything." He told him. Then politely added. "Do you have any question?"

"Yeah, I do. Uh, when will Hades come home?" Mathias asked a bit nervously.

Julius didn't reply right away.

"…I believe I cannot give you an accurate answer to your question, sir Mathias. Lord Hades has not informed me of the hour he will be returning. He usually leaves the castle to supervise and to make sure the balance of this world kept the way it should be. Other than that he does not tell even me of his private affairs." He told him.

"Nowadays, it is quite difficult to tell how much time he spent outside of the palace. Sometimes it could be days until he returned, sometimes merely hours. He has been like this ever since - " Julius paused for a moment before he continued calmly.

"As I have told you. You may use these rooms to entertain yourself and wait until the Lord returns. Should there be a need for you to be escorted back to your room, you only need to summon me and I will be there immediately." Julius bowed briefly, before walking away.

Mathias still had something to ask. But before he could say anything else, Julius had left him alone in the common room.

After being left alone, Mathias wasn't sure what he must do next. He was told he could whatever he wanted, but no idea came to mind. After all, it was a stranger's house, how could he do whatever he wanted there even if he was suddenly allowed to? But he couldn't leave the place. The only person who actually looked like a person (Hades) wasn't around. And he didn't know Julius that well. He still needed to wait for Hades here.

He pondered. Maybe… he just needs to do something completely harmless. He needed to mind his manners or he'd be thrown out there where all the hideous monsters be. Mathias took a sharp intake. Okay. He approached the tall bookshelves on the other side of the common room and scanned through them. There were books in different languages. But there were some in english.

Mathias was honestly surprised he found Moby Dick among them. There was several classic story books in english as well. Even those girlish semi-erotic novels. Mathias laughed at the extensive collection of cheesy romance novels. Out of irony, he picked one or two, thinking to get a good laugh out of it. He gauged the indefinite time he would have to spend waiting for Hades, so he took some more.

Dropping his findings on the coffee table, Mathias took off his shoes to lay lazily across the red velvet sofa. He piled fluffy pillows behind his back and head to get extra cozy. After he felt snug enough, he snatched a book from the top of the pile and started flipping some pages.

As he flipped through the pages, Mathias laughed at the overly dramatic scenes in the novels and was so grossed in reading more that hours passed by him unnoticed. After a while he closed the book and sat up to stretch his limbs, feeling stiff in his backside.

The book was quite the entertainment, he concluded. Not bad for a sappy love story. Actually, he had teared up a little during the scene when Leon was forced to leave Sandra, who thought he went off with his evil ex-girlfriend to marry in Paris. He was still just in the middle of the story. In the next chapter, Sandra was supposed to follow Leon to Cannes…

…okay, he _might_ have been a little too into it.

_Hmmm. What time is it?_ Mathias wondered, his wandering eyes caught a hold of a classic wooden clock right above the fireplace.

He was a bit surprised that it apparently wasn't that different from your regular clock, except that there was an additional number to it; thirteen. Odd. Apparently he had spent some meager five to six hours of reading. He never knew books could make time fly so fast unnoticed. It wasn't so bad.

Now speaking of time flying so fast… Mathias noticed that even though he had slept through half a day added with extra six hours, he didn't feel hungry at all. Usually, a normal person would've had starved by now. But he hadn't felt hungry, at all. Hunger was a bodily function, since he was now a spirit with no body, did it mean he did not need to eat as well? That… was pretty cool. He didn't dare to guess what kind of things they eat in the underworld anyway. He shuddered to think about it.

But hey, he still needed sleep.

Mathias didn't feel like wanting to figure things out again, so he sunk back in with a book in his hand and started reading again.

He really needed to know why Leon had to leave Sandra behind. Would Stephanie be the thorn of their relationship again? Would they be together in the end? How about Sandra's childhood crush, Joseph - _oh my god, Sandra found out she was pregnant with Leon's kid! _The plot deepened!

Mathias was eager as he read on, consumed so much by the book that he failed to notice rain had poured down onto the lifeless soil of the underworld, outside the window.

Hours and hours passed by. The human boy had unknowingly fallen asleep on the couch, the novel he was reading lying face-down on his stomach. His mouth was slightly opened and slept so deep in slumber that he was snoring faintly. The flames in the furnace had gone out a while ago, leaving only a fading line of gray smoke. With the source of the light gone, the common room became dim and silent safe for the ticking clock and the harsh rain from the outside.

A low creak rose when the entrance was opened slight and a dark figure slipped in.

The figure made little noise as he stepped inside of the room, closing the door behind him. Mathias was unaware of this as he only stirred in his sleep to change position, the book on his tummy slid slightly to the right, inching to the edge before falling down onto the carpeted floor with a dull thud. The sudden noise disturbed the boy's rest. He grumbled incoherently, his consciousness waking up ever so slowly.

"Ummmhh," He mumbled, feeling heavy and drowsy as he was in between sleep and awake. He tosses his head around and about, bringing a hand to rub his still closed eyes.

He was still oblivious to the presence of another person in the room, who was now standing close to where Mathias was, observing him in silence. Mathias yawned loudly as he stretched out, sitting up while still rubbing his eyes. He slowly opened his eyes, he froze when he finally saw the figure in black. Suddenly he was fully awake.

"Who…" His voice caught in his throat, wide eyes fixed at the stranger.

The figure in black moved, and Mathias' posture became even stiffer.

"Fear not, Mathias Kholer. 'tis I." He spoke in a familiar voice.

Mathias heard a snap and the furnace came to life, lighting the whole room in a split second.

"Hades! I thought - " Mathias sighed in relief when he recognized the stranger. Though his relief came short as he was alerted by the state Hades was in.

Hades was wearing a long black cloak that was so soaked that endless droplets of water dripped down staining the carpet. In fact, he was soaked through and through from top to bottom, drenched to the bones. Mathias jumped off of the couch, he didn't even care that he had stepped on the book and was barefooted in his way to approach the smaller man.

"What happened to you? You're… all soaked!" He said half-panicked, grabbing Hades by the shoulder, while the other hand touched his face pale wet cheek. Hades' eyes widened at the touch, but Mathias was too worried to notice such a slight reaction.

"…Your skin is so cold, like ice! Come here, warm yourself up."

He immediately took Hades by the hand and pulled him closer to the fire. Hades looked surprised by the sudden force but went with it. He let Mathias sat him down to the furry carpet a few feet away from the furnace. Mathias told him to stay there while he searched for some sort of towel in the room, even though he didn't know where it was.

Hades calmly watched as the Mathias went through cabinets and drawers and shelves until he found himself several dry towels. He was holding a pile of them with both hands when he returned to Hades, he looked confused when he saw Hades had done nothing to fix himself up.

"Don't just sit there! You'll catch a cold if you wear that coat. Take it off. No, actually take all your clothes off. Use the towels to wipe yourself." He said as he put the towels on the table.

Hades didn't say anything. He impassively pulled out the hand that had been hidden under the thick black cloak, he fished out a few stems of white lilies from underneath and handed it out to the dumbstruck Mathias. "Please hold on to this." Hades politely said.

Mathias nodded once and took the flowers from him.

Hades then took off his heavily drenched coat while Mathias worked the flowers to an empty vase on a wooden drawer by the window. Only then he noticed how hard the rain was outside, it was a downpour. The sky became a gloomy shade of grayish blue. It showed no sign of calming down anytime soon. No wonder Hades came home in such a state.

So it rained too in the underworld, he noted. After he had set the flowers properly in the vase, Mathias turned attention to helping Hades. Finding the man had stripped off of his clothes and now he was bare like the day he was born, standing there facing the fire.

Mathias gulped. The smaller man had such slender, delicate features that even though he was male Mathias felt like he shouldn't look at Hades that way. His skin was like porcelain, pale and smooth. And he had a pretty face; big eyes, small face, pouty lips and rosy cheeks. Like a doll. He had a cute butt too to top it all.

…wait, what? Nonononono. What was he thinking? He had seen Hades' bare bum before and it wasn't a big deal. Sure, he'd mistaken him as a girl but still - AGH! Stop. Thinking. Unnecessary. Things. He was just there to help. That was all.

Clearing up his throat, Mathias approached Hades but with his eyes fixed at anything but the man himself. Then Mathias quickly snatched a towel and spread it out, proceeding to blanket Hades' bare body with it - all the while still looking away.

"Thank you." Hades said, wrapping the towel around his body.

"N-No prob."

They both took a seat on the carpet. Mathias insisted Hades to remain close to the fire until he had completely warmed up. The images of dancing flames reflected in their eyes as they sat there. Mathias was behind the smaller man, drying his hair with a towel. Hades was quiet as always, seemingly enjoying the attention Mathias was giving him. The taller boy rubbed the fabric against the golden strands gently, squeezing out the water that clung to the ends with a small towel.

"May I ask some things?" Mathias suddenly said.

Hades pondered before he gave him a nod. "…yes."

"So… where have you been? I haven't seen you in a while."

"I was working." Came an answer. "My duty as the Lord of the Underworld is to preserve the balance of this world, of life and death. I am to guide the souls of the deceased to be placed accordingly to their karma. To ensure the rules and laws of the underworld held high. I am the enforcer of balance. I am the guardian of the Underworld. I am its king and its protector."

"I understand." Mathias nodded. "And… actually, earlier I wanted to thank you for letting me stay here."

"It is a matter that must not be mentioned. You're my guest and you shall have only the best sort of hospitality within my home." Hades looked up at him. "How was Julius? Have he treated you well?"

"Oh. He's cool. I mean, he's been good to me. Don't worry." Mathias told him. "Though… I still can't get used to his appearance. Or the other servants. I mean, all of them are funny-looking. I was feeling a bit anxious that you weren't around, you know. 'coz you're the only one who looks normal to me."

To his surprise, Hades chuckled.

"Do forgive me. It is rude of me to leave my guest alone to entertain themselves instead of staying and being a good host."

"Oh yeah about that." Mathias scratched the back of his head nervously. "I read some of your books and slept on the couch. …and I think I stepped on one of them? I'm sorry! I'll make it up to you somehow." He apologetically said.

"It is of no concern." Hades said coolly. "Your company has been a joy. It's been a long time since I had someone to talk to. It is more than enough to compensate any minor damage you caused."

"A long time?" Mathias cocked his head. "But aren't there those beautiful ladies you called nymphs accompanying you?"

Hades snorted.

"Beautiful as goddesses as they may be, but do not be fooled by their appearance. Their skulls bear not an ounce of brain to have a decent conversation with, or any intelligence at all."

"Haha!" The human boy laughed openly. "Guess the bigger the boobs, the smaller the brains, huh?"

The other man looked at him questioningly. "I do not follow."

"Oh it's a phrase, you know? Like 'blondes are dumb' and such. It means that when a girl has big breasts, her brains tend to shrink in size, probably to build the chest part."

"I do not fully understand what you have explained to me," Hades uttered. "However I think your opinion has a point."

"Right?"

They both continued to have a fun time conversing with each other. Mathias was thrilled that the usually impassive Hades became more and more open and talkative to him. Needless to say, they had a great time together. Even after Hades' hair had dried and his skin regained its warmth, they hadn't left the spot they were on. They went on and on, not realizing the storm outside had stopped abruptly as if to add to their merrymaking.

"I think it's time for you to change clothes. You'll catch a cold only wearing that." Mathias pointed out, noticing how long they had been talking. In fact, he had stopped drying out Hades' hair a long time ago. He stood up, outstretching a hand towards the god to help him get on his knees.

Hades looked hesitant, but he finally accepted Mathias hand and stood up next to him, still clad in towels. Mathias gathered the still wet clothes, folding them into his arms. The shorter man stood in silence as he watched the other, never averting his gaze. Mathias who was getting used to being stared at by him no longer felt as nervous as he was.

Mathias touched the rim of the ring the butler gave him. It maybe the right time to use it. He could ask Julius to bring Hades a change of clothes. He was going to do just that when his intention halted as his gaze collided with the white lilies Hades brought with him earlier.

"Those flowers - " He started, eyes fixated at them.

Hades looked up at him, cocking his head.

Mathias felt like he shouldn't say anything anymore but his mouth betrayed his intention. "You were… very protective of them." He blurted. "You were covering them from the rain."

The smaller man's eyes widened and they shifted in line with Mathias'.

"Yes." He uttered. "Had I not do it, the rain would have harmed them and they may start to rot."

Mathias couldn't help but to notice the same white lilies that were in his room as well. The room that probably was Hades' wife's. "Are those flowers that special? …such beautiful flowers, must be hard to find here." He mentioned. How could he find such thing in this desolated land devoid of life?

"It is." Hades admitted. "I needed to go… to a certain place far away from here. The Elysian Fields. A place where the souls of heroes and saints go. A peaceful, beautiful place very much like paradise. I go there… every day. Whenever I could, to retrieve those flowers. Because they never last long."

Mathias turned to him, clearly amazed. "Everyday?" He breathed. "But… why?"

Hades stared at those beautiful flowers, freshly cut from their stems. Droplets of rain substituted for morning dew. They looked beautiful, pure and innocent. They reminded him of her. Of her face, of her smile and of her voice. His gaze never faltered as he held his gaze at them, remembering.

"Persephone loves them. My wife. She has always loved white lilies. They were her favorite."

A chill went up Mathias spines at the declaration of Hades' love and devotion towards his wife.

"Your… wife. But you said…" Mathias halted his tongue.

"She has left me, yes." Hades said. "But I have grown accustomed to their presence. To their smell. It is a hard habit to break."

_A habit? You even went through a storm to retrieve them… who would call that a habit?_ Mathias had wanted to say, but he just couldn't. Clearly, Hades was still very much in love with his wife. His devotion and love was so strong that he kept her bedroom spotless and brought her favorite flowers every day to adorn the house. It made sense now.

The way Hades gazed at those flowers, sorrowful and lonely, made Mathias felt bad for bringing up such a private issue. He couldn't stand Hades looking so miserable. But he didn't know what to do about it, he couldn't possibly drag his wife here to solve the problem altogether. So far, he had been useless despite Hades' generosity. He felt worse.

But if… if Hades was lonely, Mathias could keep him company. It was the least he could do.

"Do you have some… tea?" Mathias suddenly asked.

Hades looked at him quizzically. "Tea? You mean from the earth?"

"Uh, yeah. Do you have some? And uh, do you have like, ingredients for cooking? The normal ones? Like eggs and flour and stuff like that? And a big kitchen with a stove?"

The smaller man looked more intrigued than puzzled.

"I believe we do have some tea. My nephew Hermes usually brings them for me when he visits." He told him. "I don't know whether we have the ingredients you spoke of. You may need to ask Julius about that. And yes, we do have a kitchen. With stove as well."

"Great! So we can have tea party!"

"Tea party?"

"Yeah. It's some kind of a social gathering where people chat and stuff while eating cakes and sweets. My dad's forced me to learn cooking and baking since I was a kid. I can make some mean chocolate cake. I can make pudding, ice cream, trifle - whatever you want! We can eat while we chat. You know, maybe after you're done with work?" Mathias grinned proudly, hands in akimbo.

Hades blinked several times, he seemed thoughtful.

"That sounds exciting." He concluded.

"It's gonna be fun, trust me!" Mathias smiled assuringly, putting his hands on Hades' shoulders.

His tone of voice suddenly turned dead serious and his expression solid. "…well. Then I guess I should beg you not to tell my friends since… you know… baking isn't really… _manly_. I'd be dead if they ever found out. So please please _please_. Don't. Tell. Anyone. About. This. Please?"

Hades blinked again.

Then something completely unexpected happened: he laughed. Openly. Hades laughed. With his mouth opened in a wide smile and his eyes squeezed shut in glee. Sure he wasn't exactly _cackling_. It was a soft laugh that sounded like it came from an angel. It was very pleasant to hear.

A short while later, the laughter died down although Mathias' shock hadn't.

"I promise I will never tell anyone." Hades said with a sweet smile that could melt an ice queen.

Mathias _gaped._

"S-sure. Thanks."

He released Hades from his grip.

The smile hadn't left Hades' visage even after seconds passed that Mathias had begun to think it really wasn't just a hallucination, but something real. …oh no, did that mean the intense poundings inside his ribcage were real too?

"I am looking forward to it." Hades had told him with that sweet, sweet smile still plastered across his lips. Damn he looked so adorable.

**Thump!**

… _dammit, be quiet!_

* * *

to be continued….

* * *

A/N: Next time, Operation: Save Mathias part 1 will start~ :-x

Anyways, I'll try to get the next chapter done more quickly. It's late so that's all I'm gonna say for now. Tell me what you think of this chapter! :-)


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